Endoxyla cinereus
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
Endoxyla cinereus, also commonly known as the giant wood moth, is a species of moth that belongs to the family Cossidae. It is a widespread species being endemic to eastern, southern and southwestern Australia including Queensland and New South Wales and New Zealand. This species is one of the world's heaviest insects, weighing up to 30 grams and having a wingspan of 23 centimeters.
The species was first described in 1890 by J. G. O. Tepper, a Prussian botanist and entomologist. A rare contemporary sighting of the moth at a school in Australia garnered notice as an editor's pick among the daily headlines of the New York Times on May 8, 2021.
It is the heaviest moth in the world, weighing up to 30 g. Its wingspan is approximately 23 cm, or just over nine inches. Their larvae are around 1.5 mm long when newly hatched, but can grow to be as long as 150 mm. Newly hatched larvae are banded by purple and white stripes, with an orange and black pattern on their prothoracic plate and head.
Knowledge on the life history of giant wood moths is not complete. Many gaps in their life history are inferred from closely related species, either within the same genus... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brisbane | 🇦🇺 Australia |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Giant Wood Moth sighting in Brisbane on a given day, based on 24 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 420th 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 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
November and December
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Giant Wood Moth in Brisbane on a given day, against under 5% in January to October, the lowest months.
Only Brisbane, in our data
Brisbane is the only city on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Giant Wood Moth sightings: under 5% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
Same order: Lepidoptera
The closest relatives of the Giant Wood Moth that you can see in Brisbane (order Lepidoptera, Butterflies and Moths) are Australian Common Crow (about 40%), Common Evening Brown (about 30%) and Orchard Swallowtail (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Giant Wood Moth is recorded against all the insects logged in Brisbane (24 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.
