Pterophorus pentadactyla
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
Pterophorus pentadactyla, commonly known as the white plume moth, is a moth in the family Pterophoridae. It is found in the West Palearctic including North Africa and Europe. The wingspan is 26–34 mm (1.0–1.3 in). It is uniformly white, with the hind wing pair divided in three feathery plumes and the front pair in another two. The moths fly from June to August. The larvae feed on bindweed (Convolvulus species).
This moth was first described by Carl Linnaeus in 1758 in the 10th edition of Systema Naturae. He gave it the name Aciptilia pentadactyla, with the specific epithet being descriptive of the appearance of the wings, and coming from the Greek meaning "five fingers"; the insect was later transferred to the genus Pterophorus.
The white plume moth is a distinctive insect with a wingspan of 26 to 34 mm (1.0 to 1.3 in). The adult is pure white, the wings being divided into five slender feather-like plumes, two forming part of the forewing and three part of the hind wing. The insect is nocturnal, emerging at dusk, and is on the wing during June and July. The larvae are green, with a yellow dorsal stripe and tufts of pale hairs. The plume moth has a very... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fertő-Hanság National Park | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 2 | Cévennes National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 3 | Bavarian Forest National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 4 | Pyrénées National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 5 | Wadden Sea National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Turin | 🇮🇹 Italy | |
| 2 | Rotterdam [The Hague] | 🇳🇱 Netherlands | |
| 3 | Warsaw | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 4 | Brussels | 🇧🇪 Belgium | |
| 5 | London | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 6 | Manchester | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 7 | Birmingham | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 8 | Berlin | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 9 | Helsinki | 🇫🇮 Finland | |
| 10 | Leeds | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a White Plume Moth sighting in London on a given day, based on 36 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 547th 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.
June and July
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a White Plume Moth 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 White Plume Moth 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.
5th of 18
Of the 18 cities where we can rate White Plume Moth sightings, London ranks 5th at under 5%. The best odds are in Turin (Italy, about 10%), Rotterdam [The Hague] (Netherlands, about 10%) and Warsaw (Poland, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the White Plume Moth is recorded against all the insects logged in London (36 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.
