Polka Dot

Polka Dot

Pardopsis punctatissima

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
at Addo Elephant National Park

In 3 days ~20% in a week ~30%

6 Verified sightings at Addo Elephant National Park From 2019 to 2026
6 In 1 park
April Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Polka Dot

Pardopsis is a monotypic butterfly genus in the family Nymphalidae. Its only species is Pardopsis punctatissima, the polka dot. It is found in the fynbos of South Africa, in lowland and Afromontane forest, and grassland from Van Stadens Pass in the Eastern Cape, along the foothills of the eastern escarpment into Mpumalanga and Limpopo, north to Mozambique and from Zimbabwe to Ethiopia. It is also present in Madagascar.

The wingspan is 30–34 mm for males and 33–36 mm for females. Adults are on wing year round with a peak from October to March. The larvae feed on Hybanthus capensis. Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Addo Elephant National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~10%

More parks will be added in future updates.

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Durban 🇿🇦 South Africa
~10%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Polka Dot in Addo Elephant National Park?

With luck

About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Polka Dot sighting in Addo Elephant National Park on a given day, based on 6 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 141st most-seen of the 198 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Polka Dot in Addo Elephant National Park?

January–February, April and July

In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Polka Dot in Addo Elephant National Park on a given day, against under 5% in March, May–June and August–December, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a Polka Dot?

Between 7 and 10 am

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Polka Dot sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Where else can you see a Polka Dot?

Only Addo Elephant National Park, in our data

Addo Elephant National Park is the only park on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Polka Dot sightings: about 10% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.

Which relatives of the Polka Dot live in Addo Elephant National Park?

Same family: Nymphalidae

The closest relatives of the Polka Dot that you can see in Addo Elephant National Park (family Nymphalidae, Brush-footed Butterflies) are Yellow Pansy (about 20%), Painted Lady (about 20%) and Junonia archesia (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Polka Dot sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Polka Dot is recorded against all the insects logged in Addo Elephant National Park (6 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.

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