Dark Spectacle

Dark Spectacle

Abrostola triplasia

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at London

In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%

15 Verified sightings at London
24 In all 4 parks From 2019 to 2026
June Best month
☀️🌙 Day & Night When it's spotted

About the Dark Spectacle

Abrostola triplasia (the dark spectacle) is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It is found across the entire Palearctic realm (Europe (all countries), North Africa, Russia, Siberia, and Japan). Subarctic territories with an average temperature of below 6 °C are an exception. In the warmest and driest regions of the Mediterranean, the Middle East, and the mountains in West and Central Asia, the species occurs only scattered or is entirely lacking.

The wingspan is 32–38 mm. Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Snowdonia National Park 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~10%
2 Bavarian Forest National Park 🇩🇪 Germany
~10%
3 Pyrénées National Park 🇫🇷 France
<5%
4 Wadden Sea National Park 🇩🇪 Germany
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Liverpool 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~10%
2 Nizhny Novgorod 🇷🇺 Russia
<5%
3 Porto 🇵🇹 Portugal
<5%
4 Kyiv 🇺🇦 Ukraine
<5%
5 Berlin 🇩🇪 Germany
<5%
6 London 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
<5%
7 Paris 🇫🇷 France
<5%
8 Helsinki 🇫🇮 Finland
<5%
9 Prague 🇨🇿 Czechia
<5%
10 Moscow 🇷🇺 Russia
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Dark Spectacle in London?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Dark Spectacle sighting in London on a given day, based on 15 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 873rd 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.

When is the best time to see a Dark Spectacle in London?

Any time of year

In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Dark Spectacle in London on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.

What time of day is best to see a Dark Spectacle?

Between 10 pm and 1 am

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Dark Spectacle 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.

Is London the best place to see a Dark Spectacle?

6th of 10

Of the 10 cities where we can rate Dark Spectacle sightings, London ranks 6th at under 5%. The best odds are in Liverpool (United Kingdom, about 10%), Nizhny Novgorod (Russia, under 5%) and Porto (Portugal, under 5%).

Where does the Dark Spectacle sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Dark Spectacle is recorded against all the insects logged in London (15 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.

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