Stathmopoda skelloni
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
Stathmopoda skelloni, the yellow featherfoot, is a species of moth in the Stathmopodidae family. It is endemic to New Zealand and can be found throughout the country. This species inhabits native forest, coastal dunes and shrubland as well as cultivated gardens and orchards. The larvae of this species feed on a variety of plant species including agricultural crops such as kiwifruit and persimmons. This species is therefore regarded as an agricultural pest. Larvae have been observed as being parasitised by the fly species Trigonospila brevifacies.
The adult moths are on the wing from September until March and are nocturnal but are attracted to light. It has been hypothesised that constant ambient temperatures above 22°C during the larval stage of development renders adult moths of this species infertile.
This species was first described by Arthur Gardiner Butler in 1880 and named Boocara skelloni. Butler named this species in honour of William Skellon who had sent various specimens he had collected in Blenheim to Butler. In 1889 Edward Meyrick placed this species within the genus Stathmopoda. In 1921 Meyrick synonymised Stathmopoda fusilis with Stathmopoda phlegyra,... 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 Yellow Featherfoot sighting in Auckland on a given day, based on 6 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.
October
In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Yellow Featherfoot in Auckland on a given day, against under 5% in November to September, the lowest months.
Only Auckland, in our data
Auckland is the only city on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Yellow Featherfoot sightings: under 5% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Yellow Featherfoot is recorded against all the insects logged in Auckland (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.
