Chestnut Bob

Chestnut Bob

Iambrix salsala

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
at Hong Kong

In 3 days ~20% in a week ~50%

76 Verified sightings at Hong Kong
47 In all 5 parks From 2019 to 2026
September Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Chestnut Bob

Iambrix salsala, the chestnut bob, is a butterfly belonging to the family Hesperiidae, that is found in parts of South Asia and Southeast Asia. The subspecies of Iambrix salsala found in India are- Iambrix salsala salsala Moore, 1865

Iambrix salsala luteipalpis Plötz, 1886 The butterfly occurs in Sri Lanka, India, Nepal, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, north Vietnam, Hainan, Hong Kong, south Yunnan, Langkawi, Malaysia, Singapore, Tioman, Sumatra and Java.

In India, the butterfly flies in South India, Calcutta, along the Himalayas from Kumaon to Sikkim, Assam and eastwards to Myanmar. Edward Yerbury Watson (1891) states the butterfly's range as follows: Has been recorded from Bengal (Moore), Cachar (Wood-Mason and de Niceville); Tavoy (Elwes and de Niceville); Calcutta (de Niceville); Orissa (Taylor); Sikkim (de Niceville; Elwes).

Recorded as A. stellifer from Ceylon (Hutchison, Wade, Mackwood); Poona, Bombay (Swinhoe); and the Nilgiris (Hampson). Watson (1891) gives a detailed description, shown below: Male and female dark brown with olive-brown gloss. Male; upperside, forewing with two or three ill-defined yellowish spots ascending... Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Namdapha National Park 🇮🇳 India
~40%
2 Periyar National Park 🇮🇳 India
~20%
3 Nagarhole National Park 🇮🇳 India
~20%
4 Sinharaja Forest Reserve 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
~10%
5 Kaeng Krachan National Park 🇹🇭 Thailand
~10%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Thiruvananthapuram 🇮🇳 India
~30%
2 Kozhikode 🇮🇳 India
~20%
3 Chattogram 🇧🇩 Bangladesh
~20%
4 Kochi 🇮🇳 India
~20%
5 Ponnani 🇮🇳 India
~20%
6 Singapore 🇸🇬 Singapore
~20%
7 Thrissur 🇮🇳 India
~20%
8 Kollam 🇮🇳 India
~10%
9 Kuala Lumpur 🇲🇾 Malaysia
~10%
10 Colombo [Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte] 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
~10%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Chestnut Bob in Hong Kong?

With luck

About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Chestnut Bob sighting in Hong Kong on a given day, based on 76 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 148th most-seen of the 1125 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Chestnut Bob in Hong Kong?

July and September

In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Chestnut Bob in Hong Kong on a given day, against under 5% in November to March, the lowest months. Those are among Hong Kong's wettest months, with about 170 mm of rain a month against 25 mm in December.

What time of day is best to see a Chestnut Bob?

Between 10 am and 1 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Chestnut Bob sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Hong Kong the best place to see a Chestnut Bob?

14th of 18

Of the 18 cities where we can rate Chestnut Bob sightings, Hong Kong ranks 14th at about 10%. The best odds are in Thiruvananthapuram (India, about 30%), Kozhikode (India, about 20%) and Chattogram (Bangladesh, about 20%).

Which relatives of the Chestnut Bob live in Hong Kong?

Same family: Hesperiidae

The closest relatives of the Chestnut Bob that you can see in Hong Kong (family Hesperiidae, Skippers) are Indian Palm Bob (about 10%), Formosan Swift (about 10%) and Pale Awlet (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Chestnut Bob sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Chestnut Bob is recorded against all the insects logged in Hong Kong (76 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.

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