Melacoryphus lateralis
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
Melacoryphus lateralis pronounced (mela-co-riff-is ladder-a-lis) a species of Hemiptera, or true bug one of several called black-and-red seed bug. Black and fringed with red and gray, some call it the charcoal seed bug, due to its resemblance to a dying ember. Native to the deserts of western North America, they have a tendency to appear in large numbers in the late summer. The Melacoryphus lateralis are close relatives of the small milkweed bug, another black-and-orange insect and are also very durable being able to survive being stomped on. Body sizes range from 0.06 inches (1.5 mm) up to 0.47 inches (12 mm). Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zion National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Saguaro National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Big Bend National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Joshua Tree National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mesa | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Denver | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Phoenix | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Austin | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Mexico City | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 6 | San Diego | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Los Angeles | 🇺🇸 United States |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Charcoal Seed Bug sighting in Joshua Tree National Park on a given day, based on 8 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 131st most-seen of the 190 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
May–July and September
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Charcoal Seed Bug in Joshua Tree National Park on a given day, against under 5% in August and October–April, the lowest months.
Between 8 and 11 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Charcoal Seed Bug sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is seen both by day and at night.
Among the best
Of the 4 parks where we can rate Charcoal Seed Bug sightings, Joshua Tree National Park ranks 4th at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Zion National Park (United States, about 10%), Saguaro National Park (United States, about 10%) and Big Bend National Park (United States, about 10%).
Same family: Lygaeidae
The closest relatives of the Charcoal Seed Bug that you can see in Joshua Tree National Park (family Lygaeidae, Seed Bugs) are Small Milkweed Bug (about 10%), Redcoat Seed Bug (about 10%) and Large Milkweed Bug (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Charcoal Seed Bug is recorded against all the insects logged in Joshua Tree National Park (8 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
