Aciurina bigeloviae
In 3 days ~80% in a week >90%
Aciurina bigeloviae is a species of tephritid or fruit flies in the genus Aciurina of the family Tephritidae. It induces galls by laying an egg on the bud of a Ericameria nauseosa plant, which forms a gall that the larvae develops within through the fall.
Canada, United States. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zion National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Grand Canyon National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Denver | 🇺🇸 United States |
Likely
About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Cotton-Gall Tephritid sighting in Zion National Park on a given day, based on 147 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 2nd most-seen of the 114 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 80%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February
In that month about 80% of wildlife watchers report a Cotton-Gall Tephritid in Zion National Park on a given day, against about 20% in August and September, the lowest months. That is one of Zion National Park's wettest months, with about 55 mm of rain against almost none in June.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Cotton-Gall Tephritid sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 2 parks where we can rate Cotton-Gall Tephritid sightings, Zion National Park has the highest daily chance: about 40%. Next come Grand Canyon National Park (United States, about 20%).
Same order: Diptera
The closest relatives of the Cotton-Gall Tephritid that you can see in Zion National Park (order Diptera, Flies) are Spiny Tachina Fly (about 40%), Sacken Lion Fly (about 10%) and White-Bowed Smoothwing (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Cotton-Gall Tephritid is recorded against all the insects logged in Zion National Park (147 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.
