Tachystola acroxantha
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
Tachystola acroxantha is a moth of the family Oecophoridae. It is native to Australia, but is an invasive species in New Zealand and Europe, probably imported with Australian plants. The wingspan is 13–15 mm. In Britain the moth flies from late-April to September, possibly in two extended generations or in a succession of broods. It comes to light and has been found in gardens, heath and in a flour mill.
Egg Undescribed. Larvae Length 11–14 mm. The body is a translucent greyish white to creamy white with the gut showing as a darker dorsal line, which gives a larva the appearance of being grey. Its head is brown with darker mandibles.
In Australia the larvae have been found between flat spun, fallen Eucalyptus leaves, on the ground or on fallen branches, favouring moist leaves. In Great Britain, Alexander Allen obtained eggs from a captured female and saw the larvae initially feeding gregariously in a silken web and as they grew they fed alone. Some ate withered leaves, but all the larvae preferred fresh leaves. The first wild larvae found in Great Britain was in the garden of the Natural History Museum, London (BMNH) in March 1998. They were in loose silken tubes... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rakiura National Park | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | |
| 2 | Blue Mountains National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Liverpool | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 2 | London | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 3 | Birmingham | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 4 | Auckland | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | |
| 5 | Manchester | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 6 | Leeds | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 7 | Melbourne | 🇦🇺 Australia |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Ruddy Streak sighting in Melbourne on a given day, based on 50 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 247th most-seen of the 875 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.
January, May and September–October
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Ruddy Streak in Melbourne on a given day, against under 5% in February–April, June–August and November–December, the lowest months.
Between 9 pm and midnight
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Ruddy Streak sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is mostly seen at night.
7th of 7
Of the 7 cities where we can rate Ruddy Streak sightings, Melbourne ranks 7th at under 5%. The best odds are in Liverpool (United Kingdom, about 40%), London (United Kingdom, about 20%) and Birmingham (United Kingdom, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Ruddy Streak is recorded against all the insects logged in Melbourne (50 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.
