Sphingomorpha chlorea
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
Sphingomorpha chlorea, the sundowner moth, is a species of moth in the family Erebidae that is native to Africa and southern Asia. The species was first described by Pieter Cramer in 1777. It is a fruit-piercing moth and a notorious pest in orchards. The fruit is pierced while performing a vertical and rhythmic movement of the head. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Waterberg Plateau Park | 🇳🇦 Namibia | |
| 2 | Gorongosa National Park | 🇲🇿 Mozambique | |
| 3 | Etosha National Park | 🇳🇦 Namibia | |
| 4 | Hwange National Park | 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe | |
| 5 | Moremi Game Reserve | 🇧🇼 Botswana | |
| 6 | Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 7 | Kruger National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 8 | Tarangire National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 9 | Namib-Naukluft National Park | 🇳🇦 Namibia | |
| 10 | iSimangaliso Wetland Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 11 | Serengeti National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 12 | Nairobi National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 13 | Masai Mara National Reserve | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 14 | Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 15 | Pilanesberg National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 16 | Chobe National Park | 🇧🇼 Botswana | |
| 17 | Addo Elephant National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Sundowner Moth sighting in Durban on a given day, based on 18 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 127th most-seen of the 401 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.
January–April, August and October
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Sundowner Moth in Durban on a given day, against under 5% in May–July, September and November–December, the lowest months.
Between 7 and 10 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Sundowner Moth 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.
Among the best
Of the 9 cities where we can rate Sundowner Moth sightings, Durban ranks 6th at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Nairobi (Kenya, about 10%), Harare (Zimbabwe, about 10%) and Pretoria (South Africa, about 10%).
Same family: Erebidae
The closest relatives of the Sundowner Moth that you can see in Durban (family Erebidae, Underwing, Tiger, Tussock, and Allied Moths) are Lienard's Achaea (about 10%), African Peach Moth (about 10%) and Creamstriped Owl (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Sundowner Moth is recorded against all the insects logged in Durban (18 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.
