Setina irrorella
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
Setina irrorella, the dew moth, is a moth of the family Erebidae. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae. It is found in the Palearctic from Ireland and the Isle of Man, then through Europe and east to northern and central Asia to the Pacific Ocean (Siberia, Kamchatka, Chukotka northern Mongolia). It is missing in the high north and parts of the Mediterranean region. It is found also in the limestone Alps up to 2,000 meters above sea level.
The wingspan is 27–33 mm. The length of the forewings is 11–18 mm. Light yellow, 3 transverse lines of minute black dots traverse the forewing, hindwing mostly with only one dot in the apex. Beneath, the forewing is glossy sooty grey with the exception of a rather irregular yellow outer margin. Among typical specimens there are found various aberrations, e.g. ab. signata Borkh., in which the middle rows of spots are united by streaks; ab. fumosa Sandb., with strongly brownish ground colour, described from the north, but also found in Germany.
The species also varies strongly geographically: flavicans Bdv., from the Mediterranean and Anterior Asia, has... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mercantour National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 2 | Vanoise National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 3 | Pyrénées National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 4 | Cévennes National Park | 🇫🇷 France |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Dew Moth sighting in Cévennes National Park on a given day, based on 5 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 896th most-seen of the 996 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
June
In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Dew Moth in Cévennes National Park on a given day, against under 5% in July to May, the lowest months.
Between 11 pm and 2 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Dew Moth 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 Dew Moth sightings, Cévennes National Park ranks 4th at under 5%. The best odds are in Mercantour National Park (France, about 10%), Vanoise National Park (France, about 10%) and Pyrénées National Park (France, under 5%).
Same family: Erebidae
The closest relatives of the Dew Moth that you can see in Cévennes National Park (family Erebidae, Underwing, Tiger, Tussock, and Allied Moths) are Cream-Spot Tiger (about 20%), Spongy Moth (about 20%) and Four-Spotted Footman (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Dew Moth is recorded against all the insects logged in Cévennes National Park (5 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.
