Tachystola acroxantha
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
Tachystola acroxantha is a moth of the family Oecophoridae. It is native to Australia, but is an invasive species in New Zealand and Europe, probably imported with Australian plants. The wingspan is 13–15 mm. In Britain the moth flies from late-April to September, possibly in two extended generations or in a succession of broods. It comes to light and has been found in gardens, heath and in a flour mill.
Egg Undescribed. Larvae Length 11–14 mm. The body is a translucent greyish white to creamy white with the gut showing as a darker dorsal line, which gives a larva the appearance of being grey. Its head is brown with darker mandibles.
In Australia the larvae have been found between flat spun, fallen Eucalyptus leaves, on the ground or on fallen branches, favouring moist leaves. In Great Britain, Alexander Allen obtained eggs from a captured female and saw the larvae initially feeding gregariously in a silken web and as they grew they fed alone. Some ate withered leaves, but all the larvae preferred fresh leaves. The first wild larvae found in Great Britain was in the garden of the Natural History Museum, London (BMNH) in March 1998. They were in loose silken tubes... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rakiura National Park | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | |
| 2 | Blue Mountains National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Liverpool | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 2 | London | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 3 | Birmingham | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 4 | Auckland | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | |
| 5 | Manchester | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 6 | Leeds | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 7 | Melbourne | 🇦🇺 Australia |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Ruddy Streak sighting in Leeds on a given day, based on 12 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 141st most-seen of the 284 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.
May to September
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Ruddy Streak in Leeds on a given day, against under 5% in October to April, the lowest months.
Between 9 pm and midnight
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Ruddy Streak sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is mostly seen at night.
6th of 7
Of the 7 cities where we can rate Ruddy Streak sightings, Leeds ranks 6th at about 10%. The best odds are in Liverpool (United Kingdom, about 40%), London (United Kingdom, about 20%) and Birmingham (United Kingdom, about 10%).
Same family: Oecophoridae
The closest relatives of the Ruddy Streak that you can see in Leeds (family Oecophoridae, Concealer Moths) are Brown House Moth (about 10%) and White-Shouldered House Moth (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Ruddy Streak is recorded against all the insects logged in Leeds (12 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.
