Pithanus maerkelii
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
Pithanus maerkelii is a species of plant bug that belongs to the family Miridae. The species is native to Europe and northern Asia and has been introduced to North America. This species is found in Europe occurring in the Mediterranean basin but only on the western northern edge. To the east this species can be found across the Palearctic to European Russia and Ukraine. The species was introduced to North America being found in the United States and Canada. Their introduction to North America means that this species now has a holarctic distribution.
They inhabit grasses and sedges located in meadows and low-lying areas. They are seen often be found on the ground but can occasionally be on plants, sometimes in association with Mimoceps insignis. This species can grow to 4-5 mm in length and has a rather ant-like appearance being similar to the silky ant (Formica fusca) found in Europe. It tends to have small, rudimentary wings although fully winged females do occur infrequently.
They feed by sucking on their host plants stalks (knots) and ears (ovules). Pithanus maerkelii can be found feeding on species of Poaceae, Cyperaceae and Juncaceae... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wadden Sea National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany |
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Birmingham | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Pithanus maerkelii sighting in Wadden Sea National Park on a given day, based on 5 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 699th most-seen of the 818 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
In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Pithanus maerkelii in Wadden Sea National Park on a given day, against under 5% in July to May, the lowest months.
Between 1 and 4 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Pithanus maerkelii sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Only Wadden Sea National Park, in our data
Wadden Sea National Park is the only park on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Pithanus maerkelii sightings: under 5% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Pithanus maerkelii is recorded against all the insects logged in Wadden Sea 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.
