Catacroptera cloanthe
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
Catacroptera is a monotypic butterfly genus of the subfamily Nymphalinae in the family Nymphalidae found in sub-Saharan Africa. The habitat consists of grassland and savanna. Adults are on wing year round, but from September to April in cooler areas.
The larvae feed on Justicia protracta, Barleria stuhlmanni, Ruellia cordata, Asystasia gangetica, Barleria opaca, Ruellia togoensis, Chaetacanthus setiger, Asclepias and Phaulopsis species. C. c. subsp. cloanthe – East and southern Africa: Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Eswatini, South Africa (Limpopo, Mpumalanga, North West, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape, Western Cape)
Bode, J. (2012), Pirate & Joker Sap Sucking, feeding on sap of Ziziphus mucronata tree, YouTube video Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Golden Gate Highlands National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | Nairobi National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Pirate sighting in Durban on a given day, based on 6 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 310th 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 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
October to January
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Pirate in Durban on a given day, against under 5% in February to September, the lowest months. Those are among Durban's wettest months, with about 200 mm of rain a month against 25 mm in June.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Pirate sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all 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 Pirate sightings, Durban ranks 2nd at under 5%. The best odds are in Accra (Ghana, about 20%).
Same family: Nymphalidae
The closest relatives of the Pirate that you can see in Durban (family Nymphalidae, Brush-footed Butterflies) are Spotted Brown Pansy (about 30%), Dark Blue Pansy (about 20%) and Common Mother-Of-Pearl (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Pirate is recorded against all the insects logged in Durban (6 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.
