Apantesis ursina
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~50%
Apantesis ursina is a moth of the family Erebidae. It was described by Schmidt in 2009. It is found on the Channel Islands off the coast of southern California and in mainland south-western California from Kern County south to San Diego County. It is probably also present in Baja California.
The length of the forewings is 15.3 mm for males and 16.7 mm for females. The ground colour of the forewings is dark brown with buff to yellowish-buff bands. The hindwings are pale pink to orange-pink with a black pattern. Adults are generally on wing from mid September to early October, but there are some records from mid August to early February. There is probably one generation per year.
This species was formerly a member of the genus Grammia, but was moved to Apantesis along with the other species of the genera Grammia, Holarctia, and Notarctia. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Channel Islands National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Diego | 🇺🇸 United States |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report an Apantesis ursina sighting in Channel Islands National Park on a given day, based on 14 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 53rd most-seen of the 131 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February to April
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report an Apantesis ursina in Channel Islands National Park on a given day, against under 5% in June–September and November–January, the lowest months. Those are among Channel Islands National Park's wettest months, with about 40 mm of rain a month against almost none in July.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Apantesis ursina sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Only Channel Islands National Park, in our data
Channel Islands National Park is the only park on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Apantesis ursina sightings: about 10% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
Same family: Erebidae
The closest relatives of the Apantesis ursina that you can see in Channel Islands National Park (family Erebidae, Underwing, Tiger, Tussock, and Allied Moths) are Salt Marsh Moth (about 30%), Lophocampa indistincta (about 30%) and Painted Tiger Moth (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Apantesis ursina is recorded against all the insects logged in Channel Islands National Park (14 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.
