Amphipyra pyramidea
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
The copper underwing, humped green fruitworm or pyramidal green fruitworm (Amphipyra pyramidea) is a moth of the family Noctuidae. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae.
This species can be found across the Palaearctic region including Europe, North Africa, the Near East, Iran, southern Siberia, northern India, Korea and Japan. It is rather common over the southern half of Britain. This species has a wingspan of 47–54 mm, the female usually slightly larger than the male. The forewings are brown marked with paler fascia and a pale, dark-centred stigma. The hindwings are a rich bright copper colour (hence the common name of "copper underwing").
It is very similar to Svensson's copper underwing (Amphipyra berbera) but identification is usually fairly straightforward by looking at some markings on the forewings, the detail of the labial palps and at the underside of the hindwings. This species has a pale area in the centre of the hindwings, contrasting with much darker marginal areas, while in A. berbera the whole underwing is more or less uniform in colour. See Townsend et al. The larva is green... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bavarian Forest National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 2 | Wadden Sea National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 3 | Pyrénées National Park | 🇫🇷 France |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Liverpool | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 2 | Copenhagen | 🇩🇰 Denmark | |
| 3 | Birmingham | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 4 | Helsinki | 🇫🇮 Finland | |
| 5 | Manchester | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 6 | London | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 7 | Hamburg | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 8 | Prague | 🇨🇿 Czechia | |
| 9 | Berlin | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 10 | Vienna | 🇦🇹 Austria |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Eurasian Copper Underwing sighting in Lyon on a given day, based on 7 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 318th most-seen of the 411 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.
April to July
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Eurasian Copper Underwing in Lyon on a given day, against under 5% in August to March, the lowest months.
Between 10 pm and 1 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Eurasian Copper Underwing 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.
17th of 19
Of the 19 cities where we can rate Eurasian Copper Underwing sightings, Lyon ranks 17th at under 5%. The best odds are in Liverpool (United Kingdom, about 10%), Copenhagen (Denmark, about 10%) and Birmingham (United Kingdom, about 10%).
Same family: Noctuidae
The closest relatives of the Eurasian Copper Underwing that you can see in Lyon (family Noctuidae, Cutworm Moths and Allies) are Silver Υ (about 10%), Large Yellow Underwing (about 10%) and Knot Grass Moth (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Eurasian Copper Underwing is recorded against all the insects logged in Lyon (7 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.
