Alcis jubata
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~50%
Alcis jubata, the dotted carpet, is a moth of the family Geometridae. The species was first described by Carl Peter Thunberg in 1788. It is found in central Europe, Scandinavia and northern Italy.Thence across the Palearctic to Altai, Sajan, Transbaikalia, Mongolia, Amur and Primorye.
The wingspan is 28–33 mm. The forewings of males and females are whitish to whitish grey or green-grey ground colour. The interior and exterior crosslines are wavy, often intermittent broader. The central line is indicated only by blackish dots and partly by a very weak line. Very clearly, the black discal spot and a black stain of the costa is at the front end of the outer crossline. Further, most not so sharply defined stains are formed in the apical area of the postdiscal area. Occasionally, the subterminal line at least in the front half of the wing is indicated. A marginal line is usually visible both on the forewings and hindwings. There is a clear line on the hindwings, and a discal fleck. The forewings and hindwings are dusted dark. Therefore, some specimens seem very dark.
Adults are on wing from the end of July to August in one generation. The larvae feed on lichens, including Usnea barbata. It overwinters as a larva. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cairngorms National Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom |
More parks will be added in future updates.
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Dotted Carpet sighting in Cairngorms National Park on a given day, based on 12 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 142nd most-seen of the 300 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
August
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Dotted Carpet in Cairngorms National Park on a given day, against under 5% in September to June, the lowest months.
Between 4 and 7 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Dotted Carpet sightings with a recorded time, and about half of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is most active around dawn and dusk.
Only Cairngorms National Park, in our data
Cairngorms National Park is the only park on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Dotted Carpet sightings: about 10% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Dotted Carpet is recorded against all the insects logged in Cairngorms National Park (12 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.
