Palpada mexicana
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
Palpada mexicana is a species of syrphid fly in the family Syrphidae. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Saguaro National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Cumbres de Monterrey National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Diego | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Monterrey | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 3 | Medellín | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 4 | Los Angeles | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | São Paulo | 🇧🇷 Brazil |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Golden Plushback sighting in Saguaro National Park on a given day, based on 5 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 300th most-seen of the 354 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
June and August–September
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Golden Plushback in Saguaro National Park on a given day, against under 5% in July and October–May, the lowest months.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Golden Plushback sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 2 parks where we can rate Golden Plushback sightings, Saguaro National Park has the highest daily chance: under 5%. Next come Cumbres de Monterrey National Park (Mexico, under 5%).
Same family: Syrphidae
The closest relatives of the Golden Plushback that you can see in Saguaro National Park (family Syrphidae, Hover Flies) are Copestylum marginatum (about 10%), Isabelle's Bromeliad Fly (about 10%) and Copestylum apiciferum (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Golden Plushback is recorded against all the insects logged in Saguaro National Park (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.
