Deilephila porcellus
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
Deilephila porcellus, the small elephant hawk-moth, is a moth of the family Sphingidae. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae. It is found in Europe, North Africa and West Asia.
The wingspan is 45–51 millimeters (1.8–2.0 in). The moth flies from May to July depending on the location. The forewings are ochreous with a faint olive tinge; the front margin is edged and blotched with pinkish, and there is a broad but irregular band of the same colour on the outer margin. The hindwings are blackish on their upper margin, pinkish on their outer margin, and ochreous tinged with olive between. The fringes are chequered whitish, sometimes tinged with pink. The head, thorax, and body are pinkish, more or less variegated with olive; the thorax has a patch of white hairs above the base of the wings. It is highly variable in colouration. In drier and warmer and arid areas of Asia Minor and Central Asia the pink colouration is absent. Form rosea Zerny is intermediate; f. indistincta Tutt is pinkish grey; f. suellus is yellowish sandy buff.
The larva is greyish brown or darker grey, merging into yellowish... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aigüestortes National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 2 | Mercantour National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 3 | Pyrénées National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 4 | Vanoise National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 5 | Cévennes National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 6 | Triglav National Park | 🇸🇮 Slovenia | |
| 7 | Ecrins National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 8 | Wadden Sea National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 9 | Fertő-Hanság National Park | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 10 | Bavarian Forest National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 11 | Snowdonia National Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | London | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 2 | Manchester | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 3 | Cologne | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 4 | Berlin | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 5 | Vienna | 🇦🇹 Austria | |
| 6 | Prague | 🇨🇿 Czechia | |
| 7 | Copenhagen | 🇩🇰 Denmark | |
| 8 | Moscow | 🇷🇺 Russia |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Small Elephant Hawkmoth sighting in London on a given day, based on 93 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 371st most-seen of the 1504 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 Small Elephant Hawkmoth in London on a given day, against under 5% in August to April, the lowest months.
Between 10 pm and 1 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Small Elephant Hawkmoth sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is seen both by day and at night.
Yes
Of the 8 cities where we can rate Small Elephant Hawkmoth sightings, London has the highest daily chance: about 10%. Next come Manchester (United Kingdom, under 5%) and Cologne (Germany, under 5%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Small Elephant Hawkmoth is recorded against all the insects logged in London (93 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.
