Agriopis marginaria
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
The dotted border (Agriopis marginaria) is a moth of the family Geometridae. The species was first described by Johan Christian Fabricius in 1776. It is found throughout Europe (except the far north), and the Near East. The female of this species has only vestigial wings and is totally flightless. It is usually found resting on the trunks and branches of the larval food plants. The male has orange-brown forewings ( less orange than in aurantiaria with a paler yellowish band and a row of dots along the termen which gives it its common name. The hindwings are whitish with faint fascia. Melanic forms are frequently seen. The wingspan is 36–42 mm.
The adults are active from February to April[1], the male sometimes coming to light but not strongly attracted. The egg is ovate, greenish, becoming reddish on the upper side. The very variable larva is usually greenish-brown with dark cross-shaped markings along the back and feeds on a range of trees and shrubs (see list below). The species overwinters as a pupa.
^ The flight season refers to the British Isles. This may vary in other parts of the range. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bavarian Forest National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 2 | Wadden Sea National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 3 | Sierra de Guadarrama National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Dotted Border Moth sighting in Birmingham on a given day, based on 7 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 616th most-seen of the 811 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.
February
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Dotted Border Moth in Birmingham on a given day, against under 5% in April to January, the lowest months.
Between 7 and 10 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Dotted Border Moth 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.
12th of 15
Of the 15 cities where we can rate Dotted Border Moth sightings, Birmingham ranks 12th at under 5%. The best odds are in Liverpool (United Kingdom, about 10%), Porto (Portugal, about 10%) and Prague (Czechia, about 10%).
Same family: Geometridae
The closest relatives of the Dotted Border Moth that you can see in Birmingham (family Geometridae, Geometer Moths) are Riband Wave (about 20%), Willow Beauty (about 20%) and Yellow Shell Moth (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Dotted Border Moth is recorded against all the insects logged in Birmingham (7 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.
