Thaumetopoea pityocampa
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
The pine processionary (Thaumetopoea pityocampa) is a moth of the subfamily Thaumetopoeinae in the family Notodontidae, known for the irritating hairs of its caterpillars, their processions, and the economic damage they cause in coniferous forests. The species was first described scientifically by Michael Denis and Ignaz Schiffermüller in 1775, though it was known to the ancients, with remedies described by Theophrastus, Dioscorides and Pliny the Elder. Its processionary behaviour was described in 1916 by the French entomologist Jean-Henri Fabre. It is one of the most destructive species to pines and cedars in Central Asia, North Africa and southern Europe.
The species is notable for the behaviour of its caterpillars, which overwinter in tent-like nests high in pine trees, and which proceed through the woods in nose-to-tail columns, protected from predators by their severely irritating hairs.
The species is one of the few insects where the larva develops in winter in temperate zones. Global warming is causing the species to affect forests progressively further north. The urticating hairs of the caterpillar larvae cause harmful (and in some cases allergic) reactions, in humans and other mammals. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sierra Nevada National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 2 | Aigüestortes National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 3 | Doñana National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 4 | Cévennes National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 5 | Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 6 | Sierra de Guadarrama National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 7 | Pyrénées National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 8 | Mercantour National Park | 🇫🇷 France |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Pine Processionary-Moth sighting in Lisbon on a given day, based on 47 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 65th most-seen of the 441 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.
January
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Pine Processionary-Moth in Lisbon on a given day, against under 5% in April to October, the lowest months. That is one of Lisbon's wettest months, with about 75 mm of rain against almost none in July.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Pine Processionary-Moth sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
8th of 9
Of the 9 cities where we can rate Pine Processionary-Moth sightings, Lisbon ranks 8th at about 10%. The best odds are in Athens (Greece, about 30%), Barcelona (Spain, about 20%) and Madrid (Spain, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Pine Processionary-Moth is recorded against all the insects logged in Lisbon (47 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.
