Pyralis farinalis
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%
Pyralis farinalis, the meal moth, is a cosmopolitan moth of the family Pyralidae. Its larvae (caterpillars) are pests of certain stored foods, namely milled plant products. It is the type species of the genus Pyralis, and by extension of its entire tribe (Pyralini), subfamily (Pyralinae) and family. Its synanthropic habits were noted even by 18th- and 19th-century naturalists, who described it using terms like domesticalis ("of home and hearth"), fraterna ("as close as a brother"), or the currently-valid farinalis ("of the flour").
At rest, adult moths (imagines) typically hold the tip of their abdomen at 90° to their body. Their upperwings are fairly colourful by moth standards, and have a wingspan of 18–30 mm. Adults fly from June to August. As adults do not live long after mating and eggs hatch quickly, this moth has a quick life cycle and is able to produce multiple generations within a single year.
In Great Britain and some other locations – particularly outside its natural range – it is mostly restricted to anthropogenic habitats of stored grain, e.g. barns and warehouses. However, it has been found in almond orchards among plant detritus and poultry farms among chicken manure.
P. farinalis is a species that is well adapted to living among humans and the urbanization that comes along with them. Though considered a pest to most, since it can decimate grain storages, humans have found uses for the moth. In Chinese culture it is the main ingredient of "insect tea." This drink is popular enough that scientists have been studying the moth's optimum growth conditions so they can possibly cultivate it for commercial use. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sierra Nevada National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 2 | Cévennes National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 3 | Bavarian Forest National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 4 | Blue Mountains National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 5 | Garden Route National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 6 | Acadia National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Pyrénées National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 8 | Wadden Sea National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 9 | Table Mountain National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Meal Moth sighting in Ankara on a given day, based on 6 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 25th most-seen of the 32 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 70%, if each day is a fresh chance.
September
In that month about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Meal Moth in Ankara on a given day, against under 5% in October to May, the lowest months. That is one of Ankara's driest months, with about 20 mm of rain against 50 mm in May.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Meal Moth sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is seen both by day and at night.
Among the best
Of the 72 cities where we can rate Meal Moth sightings, Ankara ranks 3rd at about 20%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Kharkiv (Ukraine, about 20%) and Valencia (Spain, about 20%).
Same order: Lepidoptera
The closest relatives of the Meal Moth that you can see in Ankara (order Lepidoptera, Butterflies and Moths) are Queen Of Spain Fritillary (about 40%), Small White (about 30%) and Common Blue (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Meal Moth is recorded against all the insects logged in Ankara (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.
