Pterapherapteryx sexalata
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
Pterapherapteryx is a monotypic genus of moth in the family Geometridae erected by John Curtis in 1825. Its only species, Pterapherapteryx sexalata, the small seraphim, was first described by Anders Jahan Retzius in 1783. It is found in central and northern Europe and south-east Russia.
The wingspan is 22–26 mm. The ground colour of the forewings is pale grey. They have dark grey crosslines. and two central bands: one in the basal field and one in the marginal field. The hindwings are unmarked pale grey or whitish.
The caterpillar is green, much wrinkled. It has three whitish lines or stripes along the dorsum, and in some examples there is a white line low down along the sides; the head, which inclines to yellowish, is notched, and there are two pinkish points on the last ring of the body.
The moth is on wing from May to August, depending on the location. The larvae feed on willow. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bavarian Forest National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany |
More parks will be added in future updates.
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Small Seraphim sighting in Helsinki on a given day, based on 6 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 732nd most-seen of the 838 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.
June
In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Small Seraphim in Helsinki on a given day, against under 5% in July to May, the lowest months.
Between 10 pm and 1 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Small Seraphim sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is seen both by day and at night.
Yes
Of the 2 cities where we can rate Small Seraphim sightings, Helsinki has the highest daily chance: under 5%. Next come Berlin (Germany, under 5%).
Same family: Geometridae
The closest relatives of the Small Seraphim that you can see in Helsinki (family Geometridae, Geometer Moths) are Common Carpet Moth (about 10%), Mottled Umber (about 10%) and Latticed Heath (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Small Seraphim is recorded against all the insects logged in Helsinki (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.
