Taraka hamada
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
Taraka hamada, the forest Pierrot, is a small species of butterfly found in Asia, that belongs to the lycaenids (or blues) family. The uppersides of its wings are very pale brown in color, somewhat paler in the female, uniform, with the black spots of the underside faintly apparent by transparency. The undersides are white, with round black spots and markings as follows: forewing: a spot at base of wing followed in transverse order by two spots, again two spots, then an irregular row of five spots that crosses near the apex of cell, the lower two coalescent, beyond that another curved row of five spots, two of which are in interspace 3, then a complete curved series of outwardly-pointed and a terminal series of inwardly-pointed similar spots. The spots of the last series cross a well-marked but very slender anteciliary black line, and thus cause the white cilia to the wing to be alternated with black. Hindwing: similarly crossed by five rows, all of which are more or less curved outwards, of black spots, followed by a slender uninterrupted anteciliary black line. Antennae, head, thorax and abdomen brown, shafts of the antennae ringed with white, apex of club ochraceous... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Doi Inthanon National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand |
More parks will be added in future updates.
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Forest Pierrot sighting in Guangzhou on a given day, based on 7 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 355th most-seen of the 482 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.
January
In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Forest Pierrot in Guangzhou on a given day, against under 5% in February to December, the lowest months. That is one of Guangzhou's driest months, with about 45 mm of rain against 330 mm in June.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Forest Pierrot 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 Forest Pierrot sightings, Guangzhou ranks 2nd at under 5%. The best odds are in Nanjing (China, about 10%).
Same family: Lycaenidae
The closest relatives of the Forest Pierrot that you can see in Guangzhou (family Lycaenidae, Gossamer-winged Butterflies) are Pale Grass Blue (about 10%), Plains Cupid (about 10%) and Abisara echeria (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Forest Pierrot is recorded against all the insects logged in Guangzhou (7 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.
