Spodoptera littoralis
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
Spodoptera littoralis, also referred to as the African cotton leafworm or Egyptian cotton leafworm or Mediterranean brocade, is a species of moth in the family Noctuidae. S. littoralis is found widely in Africa, Mediterranean Europe and Middle Eastern countries. It is a highly polyphagous organism that is a pest of many cultivated plants and crops. As a result, this species was assigned the label of A2 quarantine pest by the EPPO and was cautioned as a highly invasive species in the United States. The devastating impacts caused by these pests have led to the development of both biological and chemical control methods. This moth is often confused with Spodoptera litura.
Egyptian cotton leafworm is one of the many species of genus Spodoptera and family Noctuidae. The family Noctuidae was named by a French zoologist, Pierre André Latreille, in 1809 and the genus Spodoptera was named by a French entomologist, Achiwlle Guenée, in 1852. Many of the species of genus Swpodoptera are known to be pest insects. The species was named by Jean Baptiste Boisduval in 1833. Synonyms of S. littoralis include Hadena littoralis and Prodenia littoralis. Due to the similarities between many... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kruger National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | Table Mountain National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Mediterranean Brocade sighting in Cape Town on a given day, based on 9 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 219th most-seen of the 311 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.
May
In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Mediterranean Brocade in Cape Town on a given day, against under 5% in June to April, the lowest months.
Between 7 and 10 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Mediterranean Brocade sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is mostly seen at night.
9th of 9
Of the 9 cities where we can rate Mediterranean Brocade sightings, Cape Town ranks 9th at under 5%. The best odds are in Cotonou (Benin, about 30%), Yaoundé (Cameroon, about 30%) and Antananarivo (Madagascar, about 20%).
Same family: Noctuidae
The closest relatives of the Mediterranean Brocade that you can see in Cape Town (family Noctuidae, Cutworm Moths and Allies) are Suring Moth (about 10%), Lily Borer (about 10%) and Cotton Bollworm Moth (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Mediterranean Brocade is recorded against all the insects logged in Cape Town (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.
