Neptis saclava
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%
Neptis saclava, the spotted sailer, is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. It is native to Madagascar and to large areas of sub-Saharan Africa. Its wingspan is 40–45 mm in males and 45–48 mm in females The hindwing beneath at the base with whitish ground-colour and numerous irregular light red-brown spots, more or less joined together; cell of the forewing above unicolorous or with small white dots, beneath white with irregular light red-brown markings; discal spot 4 of the forewing is absent or very small, dot-like; the hindmarginal spot of the forewing is. large and touches the spot in cellule 2 or is only narrowly separated from it; the median band of the hindwing is 4—-7 mm. in breadth. Madagascar
Images BOLD Adults are on the wing year round with a peak from December to May. The larvae feed on Acalypha glabrata, Combretum bracteosum, Ricinus communis, Australina, and Pilea. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gonarezhou National Park | 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe | |
| 2 | Kruger National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 3 | iSimangaliso Wetland Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 4 | Addo Elephant National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nairobi | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 2 | Durban | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 3 | Lusaka | 🇿🇲 Zambia | |
| 4 | Johannesburg | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Spotted Sailer sighting in Lusaka on a given day, based on 5 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 60th most-seen of the 72 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.
July
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Spotted Sailer in Lusaka on a given day, against under 5% in August and November–May, the lowest months. That is one of Lusaka's driest months, with almost no rain against 210 mm in January.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Spotted Sailer sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 4 cities where we can rate Spotted Sailer sightings, Lusaka ranks 3rd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Nairobi (Kenya, about 10%) and Durban (South Africa, about 10%).
Same family: Nymphalidae
The closest relatives of the Spotted Sailer that you can see in Lusaka (family Nymphalidae, Brush-footed Butterflies) are Spotted Brown Pansy (about 50%), Yellow Pansy (about 40%) and White-Barred Emperor (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Spotted Sailer is recorded against all the insects logged in Lusaka (5 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.
