Tebenna micalis
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
Tebenna micalis, also known as the small thistle moth, is a species of moth in the family Choreutidae found worldwide. It was first described by the German Bohemian entomologist, Joseph Johann Mann in 1857. The wingspan is about 13 millimetres (0.51 in). It is similar in appearance to the Nearctic Tebenna gnaphaliella and can be found between June and August. It comes to light and can be found during the day on the flowers of the larval foodplant.
The larvae feed on Asteraceae within a blotch, sometimes leaving the mine and starting another. Later instars can live freely in a web on the leaf. Larval foodplants recorded include, on common fleabane (Pulicaria dysenterica) in the United Kingdom. In Australia on capeweed (Arctotheca calendula), spear thistle (Cirsium vulgare), horseweed (Erigeron canadensis), cotton thistle (Onopordum acanthium) and golden everlasting (Xerochrysum bracteatum); and in Réunion on globe artichoke (Cynara scolymus).
Larvae pupate on the underside of a leaf of the host plant, in a spindle-shaped cocoon. In Europe it is found south of the line Ireland, Great Britain, France and Slovakia. In Britain it is an immigrant that... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Blue Mountains National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Addo Elephant National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 3 | Sierra de Guadarrama National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Small Thistle Moth sighting in Blue Mountains National Park on a given day, based on 13 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 337th most-seen of the 789 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.
October to March
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Small Thistle Moth in Blue Mountains National Park on a given day, against under 5% in April to September, the lowest months.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Small Thistle Moth sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 3 parks where we can rate Small Thistle Moth sightings, Blue Mountains National Park has the highest daily chance: about 10%. Next come Addo Elephant National Park (South Africa, about 10%) and Sierra de Guadarrama National Park (Spain, under 5%).
Same order: Lepidoptera
The closest relatives of the Small Thistle Moth that you can see in Blue Mountains National Park (order Lepidoptera, Butterflies and Moths) are Swordgrass Brown (about 40%), Common Brown (about 30%) and Australian Painted Lady (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Small Thistle Moth is recorded against all the insects logged in Blue Mountains National Park (13 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.
