Phalaenostola larentioides
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
Phalaenostola larentioides, the black-banded owlet, is a moth of the family Erebidae. The species was first described by Augustus Radcliffe Grote in 1873. It is found in North America from New Brunswick and Wisconsin to Maine, south to Florida and Texas, west to Ontario.
The wingspan is 17 to 24 millimetres (0.67 to 0.94 in). Adults are on wing from May to September. There seem to be two or more generations per year. The larvae feed on dead grass, leaf litter and living clover leaves. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Baltimore | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Chicago | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Washington | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Boston | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Toronto | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 6 | New York City | 🇺🇸 United States |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Black-Banded Owlet sighting in Boston on a given day, based on 5 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 1063rd most-seen of the 1200 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.
Any time of year
In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Black-Banded Owlet in Boston on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.
Between 8 and 11 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Black-Banded Owlet sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is mostly seen at night.
Among the best
Of the 6 cities where we can rate Black-Banded Owlet sightings, Boston ranks 4th at under 5%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Baltimore (United States, under 5%), Chicago (United States, under 5%) and Washington (United States, under 5%).
Same family: Erebidae
The closest relatives of the Black-Banded Owlet that you can see in Boston (family Erebidae, Underwing, Tiger, Tussock, and Allied Moths) are Isabella Tiger Moth (about 20%), Virginian Tiger Moth (about 10%) and Green Cloverworm Moth (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Black-Banded Owlet is recorded against all the insects logged in Boston (5 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.
