Ichneutica lignana

Ichneutica lignana

Ichneutica lignana

Endemic
Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Auckland

In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%

5 Verified sightings at Auckland
7 In 1 park From 2019 to 2026
October Best month
🌙 Nocturnal When it's spotted

About the Ichneutica lignana

Ichneutica lignana is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It is endemic to New Zealand. This species is found on the Three Kings Islands as well as the North, South and Stewart Islands. This species lives in a variety of habitats including coastal areas, tussock grasslands, shrublands, and native forest, at a range of altitudes from sea level to over 1300 m. I. lignana is quite distinctive in appearance with its dark markings on the abdomen and forewings although it is possible to confuse Ichneutica morosa, Meterana pansicolor and Meterana pascoi with this species. Adults are on the wing throughout the year in the northern parts of the New Zealand but are restricted to the months of October to April in the more southern parts of the country.

This species was first described by Francis Walker in 1857 using a male specimen collected by Percy Earl in Waikouaiti. The male holotype specimen is held at the Natural History Museum, London. In 1988 J. S. Dugdale placed this species within the Graphania genus. In 2019 Robert Hoare undertook a major review of New Zealand Noctuidae. During this review the genus Ichneutica was greatly expanded and the genus Graphania was subsumed into... Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Egmont National Park 🇳🇿 New Zealand
~10%

More parks will be added in future updates.

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Auckland 🇳🇿 New Zealand
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing an Ichneutica lignana in Auckland?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report an Ichneutica lignana sighting in Auckland on a given day, based on 5 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 618th 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.

When is the best time to see an Ichneutica lignana in Auckland?

October and November

In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report an Ichneutica lignana in Auckland on a given day, against under 5% in December to September, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see an Ichneutica lignana?

Between 7 and 10 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Ichneutica lignana 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.

Where else can you see an Ichneutica lignana?

Only Auckland, in our data

Auckland is the only city on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Ichneutica lignana sightings: under 5% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.

Where does the Ichneutica lignana sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Ichneutica lignana is recorded against all the insects logged in Auckland (5 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.

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