Erinnyis obscura
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
Erinnyis obscura, the obscure sphinx, is a moth of the family Sphingidae. The species was first described by Johann Christian Fabricius in 1775. It lives from the northern part of South America up to the central United States.
Adults are on wing year round in the tropics, southern Florida and southern Texas. A single specimen has been added to the Cornell University Insect Collection after being collected by John Dombrowski in Ithaca New York, Tompkins County. The species was identified by curator Jason Dombroeski. This suggests that E. obscura's range is much more northern than expected. [see Cornell Insect Collection Data Base].
The caterpillars feed on various members of the family Apocynaceae, including Rauvolfia ligustrina, Rauvolfia tetraphylla, Stemmadenia obovata, Philibertia, Cynanchum and Carica papaya as well as Asclepiadaceae and spurge species, including Blepharodon mucronatum, Funastrum clausum and Morrenia odorata.
Erinnyis obscura obscura (tropical and subtropical lowlands from Uruguay west to Bolivia and Argentina and north through Central America, Mexico, and the West Indies to Florida, Mississippi... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cumbres de Monterrey National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico |
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Antonio | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Torreón | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 3 | Monterrey | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 4 | Austin | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Mexico City | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 6 | Dallas | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Houston | 🇺🇸 United States |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report an Obscure Sphinx sighting in Austin on a given day, based on 30 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 684th most-seen of the 1624 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 and November
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report an Obscure Sphinx in Austin on a given day, against under 5% in December to September, the lowest months.
Between 7 and 10 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Obscure Sphinx sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is seen both by day and at night.
4th of 7
Of the 7 cities where we can rate Obscure Sphinx sightings, Austin ranks 4th at under 5%. The best odds are in San Antonio (United States, about 10%), Torreón (México, about 10%) and Monterrey (México, under 5%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Obscure Sphinx is recorded against all the insects logged in Austin (30 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.
