Zelus longipes
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
Zelus longipes is an assassin bug (Reduviidae) that is a member of the Harpactorinae subfamily. Its distribution ranges include southern North America, Central America, and South America (except Chile), especially in agroecosystems in Brazil.
Zelus longipes has been considered as a potential biocontrol agent, as it prefers caterpillars of Spodoptera frugiperda, which is a moth that is a pest in cornfields. The species is a generalist predator, commonly used to combat picture-winged flies (Diptera: Ulidiidae), which cause damage to sweet corn yields in Florida. Z. longipes prefers smaller caterpillars, probably because there is less risk of injury while subduing smaller prey. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Everglades National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Volcán Barú National Park | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 3 | Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Big Cypress National Preserve | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | La Amistad International Park (Panama) | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 6 | Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Quito | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | |
| 2 | Miami | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Houston | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Bogota | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 5 | Mexico City | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 6 | Dallas | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Guatemala City | 🇬🇹 Guatemala | |
| 8 | San José | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 9 | Orlando | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | San Antonio | 🇺🇸 United States |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Milkweed Assassin Bug sighting in Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve on a given day, based on 5 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 412th most-seen of the 506 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.
March, July and October–November
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Milkweed Assassin Bug in Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve on a given day, against under 5% in April–June, August–September and December–February, the lowest months.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Milkweed Assassin Bug sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
6th of 6
Of the 6 parks where we can rate Milkweed Assassin Bug sightings, Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve ranks 6th at under 5%. The best odds are in Everglades National Park (United States, about 20%), Volcán Barú National Park (Panama, about 10%) and Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge (United States, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Milkweed Assassin Bug is recorded against all the insects logged in Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve (5 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.
