Chalcoela iphitalis
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
Chalcoela iphitalis, the sooty-winged chalcoela, is a moth species of the family Crambidae that occurs throughout North America. They are seen as far south as California, Arizona and South Carolina and as far north as Ontario. Adults can be seen from May to August. The head, body and front portion of the forewings are yellow-orange while the hindwing and back portion of the forewings are grey and silver. The back edge of the hindwing has black spots.
It was first described as Cataclysta iphitalis by Francis Walker in 1859. The larvae are parasitoids, feeding on the larvae of paper wasps, including species such as Polistes dominula, P. exclamans, P. metricus, Mischocyttarus flavitarsis and P. apachus. For example, M. flavitarsis nest cells are often invaded by the larvae at night because the wasps cannot see them. The larvae migrate among the cells, consuming wasp larvae and pupae. They will then pupate, spinning their cocoons in empty cells. M. flavitarsis do not attempt to rid the nest of the parasite. Instead, they will continue as a nest or abandon and renest elsewhere. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Baltimore | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Portland | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Denver | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Salt Lake City | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Austin | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Dallas | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Washington | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | San Antonio | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Sacramento | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | Philadelphia | 🇺🇸 United States |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Sooty-Winged Chalcoela Moth sighting in Austin on a given day, based on 23 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 781st 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.
August
In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Sooty-Winged Chalcoela Moth in Austin on a given day, against under 5% in September to July, the lowest months.
Among the best
Of the 15 cities where we can rate Sooty-Winged Chalcoela Moth sightings, Austin ranks 5th at under 5%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Baltimore (United States, under 5%), Portland (United States, under 5%) and Denver (United States, under 5%).
Same family: Crambidae
The closest relatives of the Sooty-Winged Chalcoela Moth that you can see in Austin (family Crambidae, Crambid Snout Moths) are Celery Leaftier Moth (about 20%), Garden Webworm Moth (about 20%) and Genista Broom Moth (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Sooty-Winged Chalcoela Moth is recorded against all the insects logged in Austin (23 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.
