Habrosyne pyritoides
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
The buff arches (Habrosyne pyritoides) is a moth of the family Drepanidae. The species was first described by Johann Siegfried Hufnagel in 1766. It is found throughout Europe and is well distributed in the British Isles except the far north of England and all of Scotland. They live in deciduous and coniferous forests with large populations of their foodplants, but also in gardens and parks.
This is a distinctive and attractive species; its grey-brown forewings are marked with bold buff-orange "arches". The hindwings are grey with white margins. The wingspan is 40–45 mm. It flies from June to August[1] and is attracted to light and sugar.
The young caterpillars are dark brown to grey-brown and more clearly spotted than the later caterpillar stages. These are brown-red and have a narrow dark dorsal line with indistinct light side spots. They have white spots on the sides of the three front abdominal segments, which become smaller to the rear, or just such a spot on the first abdominal segment. The larva feeds on bramble, hawthorn and hazel. The species overwinters as a pupa.
This moth is one of many insects that has been badly affected by light pollution with the species population declining by 62% since the 1970s. ^ The flight season refers to the British Isles. This may vary in other parts of the range. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Snowdonia National Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 2 | Bavarian Forest National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 3 | Pyrénées National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 4 | Wadden Sea National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Porto | 🇵🇹 Portugal | |
| 2 | Liverpool | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 3 | Turin | 🇮🇹 Italy | |
| 4 | Manchester | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 5 | Birmingham | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 6 | London | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Buff Arches sighting in London on a given day, based on 24 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 705th most-seen of the 1504 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
June and July
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Buff Arches in London on a given day, against under 5% in August to May, the lowest months.
Between 10 pm and 1 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Buff Arches sightings with a recorded time, and about half of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is seen both by day and at night.
6th of 6
Of the 6 cities where we can rate Buff Arches sightings, London ranks 6th at under 5%. The best odds are in Porto (Portugal, about 10%), Liverpool (United Kingdom, about 10%) and Turin (Italy, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Buff Arches is recorded against all the insects logged in London (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.
