Thysanoplusia orichalcea
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~50%
Thysanoplusia orichalcea, the slender burnished brass, is a moth of the family Noctuidae. The species was first described by Johan Christian Fabricius in 1775. It is a polyphagous pest of vegetable crops that originated in Indonesia, from where it spread to Europe, South Asia, India, Sri Lanka, Africa, Australia and New Zealand. In northern Europe it is a migrant species.
The wingspan is 36–44 mm. Its head, collar and the vertex of its head are reddish orange. Tegulae and forewings pale reddish brown. The forewings are extensively covered with a metallic golden shimmering surface. Only the costal field and hem are brown. Sub-basal, antemedial and postmedial waved lines very indistinct, fine and whitish in colour. The sub-marginal line irregularly lunulate. The reniform and orbicular stains are small and white bordered. The unpatterned hindwings are grey brown, somewhat darker at the margin. The thorax is furry and with some hair tufts, the proboscis is well developed.
Larva bluish green with a few short dorsal hairs. There are slender dorsal white lines and a prominent lateral line. The moth flies from August to October, depending on the location. The... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Egmont National Park | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | |
| 2 | Kruger National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Slender Burnished Brass sighting in Johannesburg on a given day, based on 24 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 64th 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 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March and April
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Slender Burnished Brass in Johannesburg on a given day, against under 5% in June to January, the lowest months.
Between 7 and 10 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Slender Burnished Brass sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is most active around dawn and dusk.
Among the best
Of the 7 cities where we can rate Slender Burnished Brass sightings, Johannesburg ranks 4th at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Pretoria (South Africa, about 10%), Auckland (New Zealand, about 10%) and Porto (Portugal, about 10%).
Same family: Noctuidae
The closest relatives of the Slender Burnished Brass that you can see in Johannesburg (family Noctuidae, Cutworm Moths and Allies) are Lily Borer (about 10%), Cotton Bollworm Moth (about 10%) and The Banner (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Slender Burnished Brass is recorded against all the insects logged in Johannesburg (24 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.
