Thalpophila matura
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~60%
The straw underwing (Thalpophila matura) is a species of moth in the family Noctuidae. The species was first described by Johann Siegfried Hufnagel in 1766. It is found from North Africa west through South Europe and Central Europe. In the north it is in parts of Ireland, Scotland, Sweden, Norway, Finland and Estonia. Further east the range stretches from southern Russia and Asia minor to the Caucasus.
This species has a wingspan of 38–46 mm. The forewings are dark brown, often variegated with paler and reddish patches and usually with prominent whitish postterminal fascia. The hindwings are very distinctive, pale straw coloured with a broad blackish band at the margin.
Wingspan 38–46 mm. Forewing grey brown with darker dusting and suffusion; veins towards termen pale grey; a slight rufous tinge longitudinally along both folds, more conspicuous at the outer edge of reniform stigma; inner and outer lines black, conversely pale edged; the submarginal obscurely pale, indented on each fold, and preceded by a dark shade; the three stigmata black edged, their centres more or less tinged with rufous, the orbicular and reniform with an obscure pale... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cévennes National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 2 | Wadden Sea National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 3 | Pyrénées National Park | 🇫🇷 France |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | London | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 2 | Birmingham | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 3 | Liverpool | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 4 | Manchester | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 5 | Vienna | 🇦🇹 Austria | |
| 6 | Budapest | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 7 | Kyiv | 🇺🇦 Ukraine | |
| 8 | Lyon | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 9 | Berlin | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 10 | Paris | 🇫🇷 France |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Straw Underwing sighting in London on a given day, based on 442 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 110th most-seen of the 1504 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.
August
In that month about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Straw Underwing in London on a given day, against under 5% in October to July, the lowest months.
Between 11 pm and 2 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Straw Underwing 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.
Yes
Of the 11 cities where we can rate Straw Underwing sightings, London has the highest daily chance: about 10%. Next come Birmingham (United Kingdom, about 10%) and Liverpool (United Kingdom, about 10%).
Same family: Noctuidae
The closest relatives of the Straw Underwing that you can see in London (family Noctuidae, Cutworm Moths and Allies) are Large Yellow Underwing (about 30%), Heart And Dart (about 20%) and Shuttle-Shaped Dart (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Straw Underwing is recorded against all the insects logged in London (442 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.
