Cabbage Cluster Caterpillar

Cabbage Cluster Caterpillar

Crocidolomia pavonana

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Brisbane

In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%

9 Verified sightings at Brisbane
11 In all 2 parks From 2019 to 2026
February Best month
🌅 Crepuscular When it's spotted

About the Cabbage Cluster Caterpillar

Crocidolomia pavonana is a moth of the family Crambidae. Its caterpillar is a crop pest and is known as the croci or the cabbage cluster caterpillar. This moth is found in Africa and Asia, its range extending from South Africa through India to the Pacific Ocean, including Australia. The wingspan is about 25 mm (1 in). The larvae feed on Brassicaceae species and are considered an agricultural pest on cabbages. The species was first described by Johan Christian Fabricius in 1794.

The adult male is between 11 and 14 mm (0.43 and 0.55 in) long with a wingspan of 20 to 25 mm (0.8 to 1.0 in), and the female is slightly smaller. Both are rather variable in colouring but have brownish markings on a cream background. The male can be distinguished by the tufts of dark-coloured hairs at the front of the forewings.

The eggs are pale green and up to three hundred are laid in an overlapping pile that may be 5 mm (0.2 in) in diameter. The larvae are grey with dark heads when they hatch and later become green with dark heads and five fine pale yellow longitudinal stripes. The pupa is cylindrical, olive green to light brown, becoming darker shortly before emergence. It is surrounded... Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Blue Mountains National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
<5%
2 Kruger National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Harare 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
~10%
2 Tuen Mun 🇨🇳 China
<5%
3 Durban 🇿🇦 South Africa
<5%
4 Brisbane 🇦🇺 Australia
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Cabbage Cluster Caterpillar in Brisbane?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Cabbage Cluster Caterpillar sighting in Brisbane on a given day, based on 9 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 760th most-seen of the 1083 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.

When is the best time to see a Cabbage Cluster Caterpillar in Brisbane?

February

In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Cabbage Cluster Caterpillar in Brisbane on a given day, against under 5% in March to January, the lowest months. That is one of Brisbane's wettest months, with about 160 mm of rain against 40 mm in July.

What time of day is best to see a Cabbage Cluster Caterpillar?

Between 10 am and 1 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Cabbage Cluster Caterpillar sightings with a recorded time, and about half of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is most active around dawn and dusk.

Is Brisbane the best place to see a Cabbage Cluster Caterpillar?

4th of 4

Of the 4 cities where we can rate Cabbage Cluster Caterpillar sightings, Brisbane ranks 4th at under 5%. The best odds are in Harare (Zimbabwe, about 10%), Tuen Mun (China, under 5%) and Durban (South Africa, under 5%).

Where does the Cabbage Cluster Caterpillar sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Cabbage Cluster Caterpillar is recorded against all the insects logged in Brisbane (9 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.

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