Palaeosia bicosta
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
Palaeosia is a monotypic genus of moths in the family Erebidae erected by George Hampson in 1900. Its only species, Palaeosia bicosta, the two-ribbed arctiid or two-ribbed footman, was first described by Francis Walker in 1854. It is found in south-eastern Australia.
The wingspan is about 30 mm. The larvae feed on lichen. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Blue Mountains National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Great Otway National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Melbourne | 🇦🇺 Australia |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Two-Ribbed Footman sighting in Melbourne on a given day, based on 13 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 537th 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 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
Any time of year
In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Two-Ribbed Footman in Melbourne on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Two-Ribbed Footman sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Only Melbourne, in our data
Melbourne is the only city on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Two-Ribbed Footman sightings: under 5% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
Same family: Erebidae
The closest relatives of the Two-Ribbed Footman that you can see in Melbourne (family Erebidae, Underwing, Tiger, Tussock, and Allied Moths) are Australian Magpie Moth (about 20%), Southern Moon Moth (about 10%) and Halone consolatrix (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Two-Ribbed Footman is recorded against all the insects logged in Melbourne (13 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.
