Declana floccosa
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%
Declana floccosa, the forest semilooper or manuka moth is a moth of the family Geometridae. It is endemic to New Zealand. It was first described by Francis Walker in 1863 using specimens obtained from Colonel Bolton. The wingspan of this species is 27–35 mm and is extremely variable in colour and patterning.
The larvae feed on a wide range of native and exotic broad-leaved and coniferous shrubs and trees. Exotic hosts include Pinus radiata and other Pinus species, Pseudotsuga menziesii, Larix and Eucalyptus. Native hosts include Muehlenbeckia australis.
Adults are attracted to light and have been collected via a mercury vapour light trap. A longitudinal study from 1974 to 2016 indicated the population of this moth declined sharply in the study area in the mid-1980s but began to recover in the late 1990s. It has been hypothesised that the arrival of Vespula vulgaris in New Zealand might be the cause of the population decline. It was also hypothesised that the recovery in population may have been brought about as a result of the extended emergence period of this moth which gave those moths emerging later in the season the ability to avoid predation... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rakiura National Park | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | |
| 2 | Egmont National Park | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | |
| 3 | Fiordland National Park | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | |
| 4 | Arthur's Pass National Park | 🇳🇿 New Zealand |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Auckland | 🇳🇿 New Zealand |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Forest Semilooper sighting in Arthur's Pass National Park on a given day, based on 22 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 20th most-seen of the 60 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 70%, if each day is a fresh chance.
December
In that month about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Forest Semilooper in Arthur's Pass National Park on a given day, against under 5% in January–February, April–May, July–September and November, the lowest months.
Between 9 pm and midnight
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Forest Semilooper sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is seen both by day and at night.
4th of 4
Of the 4 parks where we can rate Forest Semilooper sightings, Arthur's Pass National Park ranks 4th at about 10%. The best odds are in Rakiura National Park (New Zealand, about 40%), Egmont National Park (New Zealand, about 20%) and Fiordland National Park (New Zealand, about 20%).
Same family: Geometridae
The closest relatives of the Forest Semilooper that you can see in Arthur's Pass National Park (family Geometridae, Geometer Moths) are Orange Underwing (about 20%), Large Striped Carpet (about 10%) and Brown Forest Flash (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Forest Semilooper is recorded against all the insects logged in Arthur's Pass National Park (22 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.
