Luthrodes pandava
In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%
Luthrodes pandava also called the Plains Cupid or cycad blue, is a species of lycaenid butterfly found in South Asia, Myanmar, United Arab Emirates, Indochina, Peninsular Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, Java, Sumatra and the Philippines. They are among the few butterflies that breed on cycads, known for their leaves being toxic to most vertebrates.
The male upperside is lavender blue. Forewing has the costa narrowly and terminal margin more broadly fuscous brown, the latter with in addition an anteciliary black line; cilia light brown transversely traversed close to but not at their bases by a dark brown line. Hindwing: costa narrowly fuscous brown; a subterminal series of black spots outwardly edged by a white line; the spot in interspace 2 the largest and inwardly crowned more or less broadly with ochraceous yellow; an anteciliary black line and the cilia as on the forewing. Underside: greyish brown. Forewings and hindwings: the following transverse darker brown markings on each wing, the markings edged on the inner and outer sides with white lines—a short bar across the discocellulars, a discal catenulated (linked like a chain) band, the posterior... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cuc Phuong National Park | 🇻🇳 Vietnam | |
| 2 | Cat Tien National Park | 🇻🇳 Vietnam | |
| 3 | Taman Negara National Park | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 4 | Sepilok | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 5 | Kaeng Krachan National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Plains Cupid sighting in Ho Chi Minh City on a given day, based on 33 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 25th most-seen of the 121 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 50%, and over a week to about 80%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April
In that month about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Plains Cupid in Ho Chi Minh City on a given day, against under 5% in June and August, the lowest months. That is one of Ho Chi Minh City's driest months, with about 40 mm of rain against 220 mm in October.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Plains Cupid sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
31st of 72
Of the 72 cities where we can rate Plains Cupid sightings, Ho Chi Minh City ranks 31st at about 20%. The best odds are in Vadodara (India, about 40%), Visakhapatnam (India, about 40%) and Naha (Japan, about 40%).
Same family: Lycaenidae
The closest relatives of the Plains Cupid that you can see in Ho Chi Minh City (family Lycaenidae, Gossamer-winged Butterflies) are Tiny Grass Blue (about 20%), Lesser Grass Blue (about 20%) and Pale Grass Blue (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Plains Cupid is recorded against all the insects logged in Ho Chi Minh City (33 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.
