Catacroptera cloanthe
In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%
Catacroptera is a monotypic butterfly genus of the subfamily Nymphalinae in the family Nymphalidae found in sub-Saharan Africa. The habitat consists of grassland and savanna. Adults are on wing year round, but from September to April in cooler areas.
The larvae feed on Justicia protracta, Barleria stuhlmanni, Ruellia cordata, Asystasia gangetica, Barleria opaca, Ruellia togoensis, Chaetacanthus setiger, Asclepias and Phaulopsis species. C. c. subsp. cloanthe – East and southern Africa: Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Eswatini, South Africa (Limpopo, Mpumalanga, North West, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape, Western Cape)
Bode, J. (2012), Pirate & Joker Sap Sucking, feeding on sap of Ziziphus mucronata tree, YouTube video Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Golden Gate Highlands National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | Nairobi National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Pirate sighting in Accra on a given day, based on 6 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 24th most-seen of the 30 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 50%, and over a week to about 80%, if each day is a fresh chance.
August and November
In those months about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Pirate in Accra on a given day, against under 5% in January–March, May, July and September–October, the lowest months. Those are among Accra's driest months, with about 50 mm of rain a month against 200 mm in June.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Pirate sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 2 cities where we can rate Pirate sightings, Accra has the highest daily chance: about 20%. Next come Durban (South Africa, under 5%).
Same family: Nymphalidae
The closest relatives of the Pirate that you can see in Accra (family Nymphalidae, Brush-footed Butterflies) are Danaid Eggfly (about 50%), Plain Tiger Butterfly (about 40%) and Variable Diadem (about 40%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Pirate is recorded against all the insects logged in Accra (6 verified sightings), 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.
