Batrachedra arenosella
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
Batrachedra arenosella, the armoured scale eating caterpillar or the coconut moth, is a species of moth of the family Batrachedridae. It was first described by Francis Walker using specimens collected in Auckland, New Zealand. It has been hypothesised that the New Zealand moth may contain two distinct species. As well as the moth species in New Zealand, this name has been applied, perhaps incorrectly, to moths found in India, Indonesia, the Malay Peninsula, and Réunion, as well as in Australia, from the Northern Territory and northern Queensland to New South Wales and South Australia.
B. arenosella was first described by Francis Walker in 1864 using specimens collected in Auckland, New Zealand by Daniel Bolton. From 1924 this species name was also applied to moth species found in south east asian countries as well as in Australasia that are known to ingest the flowers of coconut trees. The application of this name to these moths has been argued to be incorrect as the New Zealand species is known to feed on scale insects. However the New Zealand moth species itself may well contain two separate species as larvae have been recorded as feeding not just on scale insects... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Auckland | 🇳🇿 New Zealand |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Batrachedra arenosella sighting in Auckland on a given day, based on 8 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 495th most-seen of the 689 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April–May and July
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Batrachedra arenosella in Auckland on a given day, against under 5% in June and August–March, the lowest months.
Only Auckland, in our data
Auckland is the only city on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Batrachedra arenosella sightings: under 5% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
Same order: Lepidoptera
The closest relatives of the Batrachedra arenosella that you can see in Auckland (order Lepidoptera, Butterflies and Moths) are Monarch (about 30%), Oriental Leafworm Moth (about 20%) and Epyaxa lucidata (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Batrachedra arenosella is recorded against all the insects logged in Auckland (8 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.
