Acanthaspis obscura
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
Acanthaspis obscura is a species of assassin bug from tropical and subtropical Africa. This insect grows up to 16 mm (0.63 in) in length. It has a dull black body with two white spots on each wing and a third dull honey-coloured spot at the tip of each wing. Some individuals have shorter wings.
Acanthaspis obscura occurs in tropical and subtropical Africa, including Ethiopia, Kenya, and South Africa. Adults are found living under bark and stones, as well as in termite mounds. The nymphs cover themselves with the exoskeletons of their prey and other debris. They may be found in abandoned termite mounds along with adults, where they feed on ants.
Like other species in this family, Acanthaspis obscura is predatory. It may feed on insects much larger than itself and has a venomous fluid which paralyses and kills its prey within seconds of being bitten. It is more active at night than during the day and is attracted to light. Shorter-winged individuals are found living alongside full-winged individuals.
This species may enter human homes, especially in rural... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kruger National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
More parks will be added in future updates.
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report an Acanthaspis obscura sighting in Kruger National Park on a given day, based on 22 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 200th most-seen of the 748 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February, April and October–December
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report an Acanthaspis obscura in Kruger National Park on a given day, against under 5% in January, March and May–September, the lowest months. Those are among Kruger National Park's wettest months, with about 60 mm of rain a month against almost none in August.
Between 7 and 10 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Acanthaspis obscura sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is most active around dawn and dusk.
Only Kruger National Park, in our data
Kruger National Park is the only park on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Acanthaspis obscura sightings: about 10% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
Same family: Reduviidae
The closest relatives of the Acanthaspis obscura that you can see in Kruger National Park (family Reduviidae, Assassin Bugs) are Millipede Assassin (about 10%) and Milky Flower Assassin (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Acanthaspis obscura is recorded against all the insects logged in Kruger National Park (22 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.
