Epiphryne verriculata
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%
Epiphryne verriculata, the cabbage tree moth, is a species of geometer moth (Geometridae). These moths only occur in New Zealand, where they are widespread. As larvae they exclusively feed on several species of cabbage trees (Cordyline). Their wings have an unusual pattern that allows them to camouflage it against dead leaves of cabbage trees. The species was first described in 1875 by Baron Cajetan von Felder and Alois Friedrich Rogenhofer. The larvae are bright green, but become brownish as they get older. The female lays eggs on the leaves, on which it also hides during day time. After hatching, the larvae feed on live leaves, creating distinctive notches and channels in the leaves. They take several months to mature into adults. The larvae are known be parasitised by insects such as braconid wasps and bristle flies.
Epiphryne verriculata was first described by Baron Cajetan von Felder & Alois Friedrich Rogenhofer in 1875 under the name Cidaria verriculata. The species was later moved to the genus Panopaea in 1884, then to Pancyma in 1886 and then to Venusia in 1917, with these changes all being made by British entomologist Edward Meyrick. In 1964, the species was... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rakiura National Park | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | |
| 2 | Egmont National Park | 🇳🇿 New Zealand |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Auckland | 🇳🇿 New Zealand |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Cabbage Tree Moth sighting in Auckland on a given day, based on 152 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 40th most-seen of the 689 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.
November
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Cabbage Tree Moth in Auckland on a given day, against under 5% in April, the lowest month.
Between 8 and 11 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Cabbage Tree Moth sightings with a recorded time, and about half of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is seen both by day and at night.
Only Auckland, in our data
Auckland is the only city on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Cabbage Tree Moth sightings: about 20% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
Same family: Geometridae
The closest relatives of the Cabbage Tree Moth that you can see in Auckland (family Geometridae, Geometer Moths) are Epyaxa lucidata (about 20%), Apple Looper (about 20%) and Idaea mutanda (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Cabbage Tree Moth is recorded against all the insects logged in Auckland (152 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.
