Filodes costivitralis
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
Filodes costivitralis, the window pearl, is a moth of the family Crambidae. It is found in Réunion, Madagascar, Mauritius, and central, southern and eastern Africa. The larvae feed on Hibiscus species and Thunbergia species, including Thunbergia grandiflora.
Occasionally the adults drink tear liquid from cattle, and can be a vector of animal diseases. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
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More parks will be added in future updates.
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Window Pearl sighting in Durban on a given day, based on 10 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 205th 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.
December to May
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Window Pearl in Durban on a given day, against under 5% in June to November, the lowest months.
Between 5 and 8 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Window Pearl sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is most active around dawn and dusk.
2nd of 2
Of the 2 cities where we can rate Window Pearl sightings, Durban ranks 2nd at under 5%. The best odds are in Nairobi (Kenya, about 10%).
Same family: Crambidae
The closest relatives of the Window Pearl that you can see in Durban (family Crambidae, Crambid Snout Moths) are Dotted Sable (about 10%), Hawaiian Beet Webworm Moth (about 10%) and Cucumber Moth (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Window Pearl is recorded against all the insects logged in Durban (10 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.
