Silhouette: Caroline Harding, MAF (vectorized by T. Michael Keesey) · PhyloPic
Mesophleps adustipennis
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
Mesophleps adustipennis, the soybean webworm moth, is a moth of the family Gelechiidae. It is found in the western and southern parts of the United States (California, Texas, Mississippi and Florida), Mexico, Honduras, Costa Rica, Panama, Cuba, the West Indies (the Cayman Islands, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Guana, St Thomas, St Croix, Anguilla, Dominica, Barbados, Grenada, Tobago, Trinidad), Venezuela, Ecuador (Galapagos Islands), Peru, Brazil (Rondônia, Amazonas, Maranhão, Minas Gerais, Espírito Santo, São Paulo).
The wingspan is 7.5–18 mm. The larvae feed on Cajanus cajan, Crotalaria, Acacia farnesiana and Pithecellobium pallens. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Main Ridge Forest Reserve | 🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago |
More parks will be added in future updates.
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Soybean Webworm Moth sighting in Austin on a given day, based on 20 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 834th 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.
November and December
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Soybean Webworm Moth in Austin on a given day, against under 5% in January to October, the lowest months.
Between 8 and 11 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Soybean Webworm Moth sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is mostly seen at night.
Yes
Of the 3 cities where we can rate Soybean Webworm Moth sightings, Austin has the highest daily chance: under 5%. Next come Houston (United States, under 5%) and San Diego (United States, under 5%).
Same family: Gelechiidae
The closest relatives of the Soybean Webworm Moth that you can see in Austin (family Gelechiidae, Twirler Moths) are Anacampsis fullonella (about 10%), Telphusa perspicua (about 10%) and Red-Necked Peanutworm Moth (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Soybean Webworm Moth is recorded against all the insects logged in Austin (20 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.
