Sceliphron laetum
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%
Sceliphron laetum is a wasp in the family Sphecidae, the mud-dauber wasps. Like other members of this genus, it is a solitary species and builds cells out of mud in which to rear its young, provisioning them with paralysed spiders, and laying an egg in each. This wasp is native to Australia and southeastern Asia.
Like other members of the family Specidae, the first abdominal segment of S. laetum has been modified into an elongated, slender petiole. This wasp is 17 to 26 millimetres (0.67 to 1.02 in) long and is largely black, with bold yellow markings. It has membranous wings which fold over the body when at rest. Its head is clad with yellow hairs which thin out ventrally. It lacks an area of bare yellow skin on the lower part of the face which is present in the otherwise similar Sceliphron formosum. The thorax has one or more yellow patches dorsally between the wings. The hind tip of the thorax, the petiole and the front part of the gaster are yellow, the bulbous central portion of the gaster is black and its apex is yellow. The legs are yellow with some black markings.
Sceliphron laetum is native to most of Australia and parts of southeastern... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kakadu National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Daintree National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Sceliphron laetum sighting in Kakadu National Park on a given day, based on 9 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 43rd most-seen of the 76 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 70%, if each day is a fresh chance.
December
In that month about 50% of wildlife watchers report a Sceliphron laetum in Kakadu National Park on a given day, against under 5% in January–March, June–July and September, the lowest months. That is one of Kakadu National Park's wettest months, with about 250 mm of rain against almost none in August.
Between 2 and 5 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Sceliphron laetum sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 2 parks where we can rate Sceliphron laetum sightings, Kakadu National Park has the highest daily chance: about 10%. Next come Daintree National Park (Australia, about 10%).
Same order: Hymenoptera
The closest relatives of the Sceliphron laetum that you can see in Kakadu National Park (order Hymenoptera, Ants, Bees, Wasps, and Sawflies) are Asian Weaver Ant (about 50%), Haddon's Strobe Ant (about 10%) and Orange-Tailed Potter Wasp (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Sceliphron laetum is recorded against all the insects logged in Kakadu National Park (9 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.
