Aptera fusca
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~50%
Aptera fusca, the Cape Mountain cockroach, giant cockroach or Table Mountain cockroach, is a large cockroach which is widespread on low vegetation in open areas in the fynbos biome of the Western Cape region of South Africa. Adult females can be from 30 to 40 millimetres (1.2 to 1.6 in) long. Males are slightly smaller (body length 29 millimetres (1.1 in)) and have dark brown wings, which are absent in females. It is stoutly built, with a reddish head and brown to black body segments with prominent yellow margins. The femora are heavily spined, with the hind tibiae having two very broad ridges with only two rows of spurs. They are nocturnal and herbivorous. Unusually for insects, it gives birth to 18–24 live offspring and protects the young for a while after giving birth. Family groups are found in late summer and autumn: a brood of black nymphs, a wingless female and two or more males, all living in a hidden crack. When alarmed, it raises its abdomen into the air and squeaks loudly; it also releases a foul-smelling liquid from glands on the back when handled and alarmed, producing an indelible brown stain on skin. The only other species in the genus Aptera, A. munda, is rare, and is found in the Richtersveld. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | De Hoop Nature Reserve | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | Garden Route National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 3 | Table Mountain National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 4 | West Coast National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cape Town | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Cape Mountain Cockroach sighting in West Coast National Park on a given day, based on 5 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 32nd most-seen of the 44 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
October
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Cape Mountain Cockroach in West Coast National Park on a given day, against under 5% in March–August and November–January, the lowest months. That is one of West Coast National Park's driest months, with about 15 mm of rain against 70 mm in June.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Cape Mountain Cockroach sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
4th of 4
Of the 4 parks where we can rate Cape Mountain Cockroach sightings, West Coast National Park ranks 4th at about 10%. The best odds are in De Hoop Nature Reserve (South Africa, about 20%), Garden Route National Park (South Africa, about 20%) and Table Mountain National Park (South Africa, about 20%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Cape Mountain Cockroach is recorded against all the insects logged in West Coast 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.
