Eudonia philerga
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%
Eudonia philerga is a species of moth of the family Crambidae. This species was first described by Edward Meyrick. It is endemic to New Zealand, found throughout the country, and regarded as common. Larvae feed on moss. Adult moths have been observed on the wing more frequently from October to April, and are attracted to light.
This species was named Scoparia philerga by Edward Meyrick in 1884. Meyrick gave a detailed description of the adult moth in 1885. George Hudson discussed and illustrated this species in his 1928 publication The butterflies and moths of New Zealand. In 1988 John S. Dugdale placed this species in the genus Eudonia. The male holotype specimen, collected at Lake Wakatipu, is held at the Natural History Museum, London.
The larvae of E. philerga are about 1⁄2 inch long and coloured a dull dark green with a head that is reddish brown. They have large blackish green protuberances. This colouration provides excellent camouflage as, when still, larvae are difficult to see amongst their host plant. The pupa is formed amongst moss and surrounded by a thin cocoon.
Hudson described the adult of the species as follows: The expansion of the... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rakiura National Park | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | |
| 2 | Arthur's Pass National Park | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | |
| 3 | Egmont National Park | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | |
| 4 | Fiordland National Park | 🇳🇿 New Zealand |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Auckland | 🇳🇿 New Zealand |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Eudonia philerga sighting in Auckland on a given day, based on 148 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 37th 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.
September
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Eudonia philerga in Auckland on a given day, against about 10% in February–April, July and November–December, the lowest months.
Between 9 pm and midnight
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Eudonia philerga sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is mostly seen at night.
Only Auckland, in our data
Auckland is the only city on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Eudonia philerga sightings: about 20% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
Same genus: Eudonia
The closest relatives of the Eudonia philerga that you can see in Auckland (genus Eudonia) are Eudonia leptalea (about 10%), Eudonia bisinualis (about 10%) and Greater Orange-Spot Scoparia (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Eudonia philerga is recorded against all the insects logged in Auckland (148 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.
