Abraxas grossulariata
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
Abraxas grossulariata is a moth of the family Geometridae, native to the Palearctic realm and North America. Its distinctive speckled coloration has given it a common name of magpie moth. The caterpillar is similarly coloured to the adult, and may be found feeding on the leaves of shrubs such as gooseberry and blackcurrant. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae.
The length of the forewing is 18–25 mm. The strikingly patterned forewings have a white ground colour, with six transverse series of black stains, partly associated with a pale yellow basal cross band and another through the central area of the forewing. The hindwings are paler, and have a few, small dark stains.
It is a highly variable species with many different forms. Research using Abraxas grossulariata led to the discovery of sex-linked characteristics. Abraxas grossulariata grossulariata Abraxas grossulariata karafutonis Matsumura, 1925 (Sakhalin) Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Biebrza National Park | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 2 | Cairngorms National Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 3 | Snowdonia National Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 4 | Wadden Sea National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 5 | Pyrénées National Park | 🇫🇷 France |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kharkiv | 🇺🇦 Ukraine | |
| 2 | Liverpool | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 3 | Birmingham | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 4 | Manchester | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 5 | Copenhagen | 🇩🇰 Denmark |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Magpie Moth sighting in Liverpool on a given day, based on 16 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 325th most-seen of the 632 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.
June
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Magpie Moth in Liverpool on a given day, against under 5% in May and August–March, the lowest months.
Between 7 and 10 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Magpie Moth sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is seen both by day and at night.
Among the best
Of the 5 cities where we can rate Magpie Moth sightings, Liverpool ranks 2nd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Kharkiv (Ukraine, about 10%).
Same family: Geometridae
The closest relatives of the Magpie Moth that you can see in Liverpool (family Geometridae, Geometer Moths) are Willow Beauty (about 40%), Marbled Carpet Moth (about 30%) and Brimstone Moth (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Magpie Moth is recorded against all the insects logged in Liverpool (16 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.
