Uraba lugens
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
Uraba lugens, the gum-leaf skeletoniser, is a moth of the family Nolidae. It is found in Australia and New Zealand. The larvae are a serious pest of Eucalyptus species and their close relatives. The wingspan is 25–30 mm. In Australia there are about one or two generations per year.
Uraba lugens is nicknamed the mad hatterpillar because of its distinctive exoskeletal feature. Every time it sheds the head portion of its exoskeleton, the exoskeleton stays attached to its body. Over time, developing through its life span, the head grows bigger and sheds increasingly larger exoskeleton shells, which build up underneath each other.
Uraba lugens develops as a typical moth. The life cycles occur twice a year: once in the summer and once in the winter. Eggs are laid in groups of 100–200 and are about 1 mm in diameter. Caterpillars are mostly yellow with some black markings. After hatching from a cocoon, the resulting moths are grey in colour. During the larval stage, Uraba lugens can cause damage to trees by chewing.
In 2001, an infestation of U. lugens was discovered in south-west Auckland. By 2007, the population had established throughout the greater Auckland area... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Great Otway National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Lamington National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 3 | Springbrook National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 4 | Blue Mountains National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Gum Leaf Skeletoniser sighting in Melbourne on a given day, based on 164 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 96th most-seen of the 875 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.
February–May and August–December
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Gum Leaf Skeletoniser in Melbourne on a given day, against under 5% in January and June–July, the lowest months.
Between 7 and 10 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Gum Leaf Skeletoniser 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.
Among the best
Of the 3 cities where we can rate Gum Leaf Skeletoniser sightings, Melbourne ranks 2nd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Auckland (New Zealand, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Gum Leaf Skeletoniser is recorded against all the insects logged in Melbourne (164 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.
