Palpita vitrealis
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
Palpita vitrealis, common name jasmine moth or white pearl, is a species of moth of the family Crambidae. This species occurs worldwide, including Africa (Equatorial Guinea, Gambia, Kenya, Sierra Leone, South Africa),Asia, Australia and Europe. In Europe, it is mainly found in southern Europe, but may be found further north.
The wingspan of Palpita vitrealis can reach 27–31 mm. The body and the wings are translucent with a slight sheen. Eyes are large and reddish-brown. On the upper edge of the forewings is present a rather broad orange or brown border. The forewings also show two black spots in the middle. Legs are white and brown ringed.
These moths mainly fly from August till late October, depending on the location. They feed on nectar of various flowers, including ivy and buddleia. This species shows a migratory nature. The larvae are initially yellow, later becoming green. They can grow to a length of about 2 cms. They feed on the leaves of the host plants, mainly jasmine (Jasminum officinale), privet (Ligustrum species), Forsythia, Arbutus unedo and european olive (Olea europaea). In Africa the preferred host plants are Sida... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gorongosa National Park | 🇲🇿 Mozambique | |
| 2 | Garden Route National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 3 | Sierra Nevada National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 4 | Sierra de Guadarrama National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 5 | Kruger National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 6 | Pyrénées National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 7 | Cévennes National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 8 | Table Mountain National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Jasmine Moth sighting in London on a given day, based on 41 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 536th 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 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
August to November
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Jasmine Moth in London on a given day, against under 5% in December to July, the lowest months.
Between 9 pm and midnight
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Jasmine Moth sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is mostly seen at night.
13th of 16
Of the 16 cities where we can rate Jasmine Moth sightings, London ranks 13th at under 5%. The best odds are in Porto (Portugal, about 20%), Madrid (Spain, about 10%) and Athens (Greece, about 10%).
Same family: Crambidae
The closest relatives of the Jasmine Moth that you can see in London (family Crambidae, Crambid Snout Moths) are Box Tree Moth (about 30%), Mint Moth (about 20%) and Garden Grass-Veneer (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Jasmine Moth is recorded against all the insects logged in London (41 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.
