Xanthopan morganii
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
Xanthopan is a monotypic genus of sphinx moth, with Xanthopan morganii (often misspelled as "morgani"), commonly called Morgan's sphinx moth, as its sole species. It is a very large sphinx moth from Southern Africa (Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi) and Madagascar. Little is known about its biology, though the adults have been found to visit orchids and are one of the main pollinators of several of the Madagascar endemic baobab (Adansonia) species, such as Adansonia perrieri, or Perrier's baobab.
In January 1862 while researching insect pollination of orchids, Charles Darwin received a package of orchids from the distinguished horticulturist James Bateman. In a follow-up letter with a second package, Bateman's son Robert confirmed the names of the specimens, including Angraecum sesquipedale from Madagascar. Darwin was surprised at the defining characteristic of this species: the "astonishing length" of the whip-like green spur forming the nectary of each flower, and remarked to Joseph Hooker "I have just received such a Box full from Mr Bateman with the astounding Angræcum sesquipedalia with a nectary a foot long—Good Heavens what insect can suck it"[?] The spur... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Durban | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Morgan's Sphinx sighting in Durban on a given day, based on 8 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 248th most-seen of the 401 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.
May to August
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Morgan's Sphinx in Durban on a given day, against under 5% in September to April, the lowest months. Those are among Durban's driest months, with about 35 mm of rain a month against 210 mm in January.
Only Durban, in our data
Durban is the only city on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Morgan's Sphinx sightings: under 5% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
Same family: Sphingidae
The closest relatives of the Morgan's Sphinx that you can see in Durban (family Sphingidae, Sphinx Moths) are Vine Hawkmoth (about 10%), Verdant Hawkmoth (about 10%) and Common Striped Hawkmoth (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Morgan's Sphinx is recorded against all the insects logged in Durban (8 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.
