Hellula undalis
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
Hellula undalis, the cabbage webworm or Old World webworm, is a moth of the family Crambidae. It is a widespread species which is found from Europe across Asia to the Pacific. It was first described from Italy but it is a tropical or subtropical species only occasional in Europe.
The wingspan is about 18 mm. The forewings are greyish-brown with wavy grey markings, a curved pale subterminal patch and a kidney shaped mark at one third. The hindwings are pale, with the tip lighter. It is a pest of Brassica oleracea (cabbage) and Brassica rapa (turnip) Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Table Mountain National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
More parks will be added in future updates.
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report an Old World Webworm sighting in Cape Town on a given day, based on 15 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 174th 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.
February to April
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report an Old World Webworm in Cape Town on a given day, against under 5% in May to January, the lowest months. Those are among Cape Town's driest months, with about 30 mm of rain a month against 140 mm in June.
Between 3 and 6 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Old World Webworm sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
9th of 10
Of the 10 cities where we can rate Old World Webworm sightings, Cape Town ranks 9th at under 5%. The best odds are in Valencia (Spain, about 30%), Rome (Italy, about 10%) and Tel Aviv (Israel, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Old World Webworm is recorded against all the insects logged in Cape Town (15 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.
