Gonimbrasia belina
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
Gonimbrasia belina is a species of emperor moth which is native to the warmer parts of southern Africa. Its large edible caterpillar, known as the mopane worm, madora, amacimbi, pigeon moth or masonja, feeds primarily but not exclusively on mopane tree leaves. Mopane worms are an important source of protein for many in the region. The species was first scientifically described by John O. Westwood in 1849.
The mopane worm is so-called in English because it is usually found on the mopane tree, Colophospermum mopane. Other vernacular names for the caterpillars include: Botswana Kalanga: mashonja Tswana: phane South Africa Sotho: masonja
Northern Sotho: mašotša (colloq) Venda: mashonzha Tsonga: matamani or masonja Southern Ndebele: iinnondo Tswana: masonja, seboko sa mongana Zambia muyaya (believed to be the mopane worm) finkubala ifishimu (proper name in the Bemba language)
Zimbabwe Northern Ndebele: macimbi Shona: madora, masodya or mashonja Kalanga: mahonja Namibia Ovambo: omagungu Oshikwanyama: oshuungu Democratic Republic of the Congo Kongo: mingolo The Latin name is sometimes given as Imbrasia belina, rather than Gonimbrasia belina.
The... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kruger National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | iSimangaliso Wetland Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Johannesburg | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Mopane Worm sighting in Johannesburg on a given day, based on 14 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 107th most-seen of the 213 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.
October and December–April
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Mopane Worm in Johannesburg on a given day, against under 5% in May–September and November, the lowest months. Those are among Johannesburg's wettest months, with about 85 mm of rain a month against almost none in July.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Mopane Worm sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Only Johannesburg, in our data
Johannesburg is the only city on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Mopane Worm sightings: about 10% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
Same family: Saturniidae
The closest relatives of the Mopane Worm that you can see in Johannesburg (family Saturniidae, Emperor and Giant Silk Moths) are Cabbage Tree Emperor (about 10%) and Variable Prince (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Mopane Worm is recorded against all the insects logged in Johannesburg (14 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.
