Gomalia elma
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~50%
Gomalia elma, also known as the marbled skipper or African marbled skipper, is a species of hesperiid butterfly. It is found in Africa and parts of Asia. Male. Upperside with the ground colour brownish-olive-grey. Forewing with a basal blackish-brown band, and an ante-medial darker band, the latter with its outer margin limited by a black thick line which extends from the sub-costal vein in an outward curve to the sub-median vein, its portion crossing the cell edged outwardly by a white lunular mark which closes the end of the cell, a white spot at the base of the second median interspace and another inwards below^ almost touching it, in the first median interspace, a large square blackish-brown patch on the costa limited outwardly by three sub-apical conjoined white spots, a similar but smaller patch at the apex, a larger similar patch on the middle of the outer margin, and a small narrow one at the hinder angle. Hindwing darker, a white middle band from the sub-costal vein to the abdominal fold, the inner portion of the wing from the band to the base black, containing a white sub-basal spot, a black band narrowing upwards attached to the lower portion of the white... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Addo Elephant National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | Kruger National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Green-Marbled Sandman sighting in Chennai on a given day, based on 21 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 132nd most-seen of the 376 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February, April, June–October and December
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Green-Marbled Sandman in Chennai on a given day, against under 5% in January, March, May and November, the lowest months.
Between noon and 3 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Green-Marbled Sandman sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
2nd of 2
Of the 2 cities where we can rate Green-Marbled Sandman sightings, Chennai ranks 2nd at about 10%. The best odds are in Salem (India, about 40%).
Same family: Hesperiidae
The closest relatives of the Green-Marbled Sandman that you can see in Chennai (family Hesperiidae, Skippers) are Parnara naso (about 30%), Common Banded Awl (about 20%) and Grass Demon (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Green-Marbled Sandman is recorded against all the insects logged in Chennai (21 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.
