Eutricha capensis
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%
Eutricha capensis, the Cape lappet moth, is a species of moth in the family Lasiocampidae primarily found in South Africa. During the larval stage, Cape lappets feed on a wide variety of African plants and can often be found aggregating in gardens. The caterpillars are brightly coloured and conspicuously hairy, while the bulky adult moths are mostly brown and much less striking in appearance.
The adults are large and stocky, with an average wingspan of about 70 mm (2.8 in). Both hind wings and fore wings are reddish brown. The fore wings are flecked with yellow and bear three wavy white stripes. Females are typically paler in colour and larger than males. Adult moths lack developed mouthparts and therefore do not feed. The antennae of females are deeply pectinate and are the length of the thorax.
The larvae are distinctly hairy with rows of orange tufts of long hair along the sides of the body. Arranged at the head are three large coppery tufts and two smaller purple tufts. Along the dorsal side of the caterpillars is a row of black triangles flanked either side by white.
There is little agreement regarding the extent of the Cape lappet... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Table Mountain National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | De Hoop Nature Reserve | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 3 | West Coast National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 4 | Garden Route National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cape Town | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Cape Lappet sighting in Cape Town on a given day, based on 286 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 8th most-seen of the 311 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 70%, if each day is a fresh chance.
August to October
In those months about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Cape Lappet in Cape Town on a given day, against under 5% in January to March, the lowest months.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Cape Lappet sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Only Cape Town, in our data
Cape Town is the only city on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Cape Lappet sightings: about 20% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
Same family: Lasiocampidae
The closest relatives of the Cape Lappet that you can see in Cape Town (family Lasiocampidae, Lappet Moths) are Mountain White-Spot (about 10%), Barred Eggarlet (about 10%) and Stoermeriana scapulosa (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Cape Lappet is recorded against all the insects logged in Cape Town (286 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.
