Macrothylacia rubi
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~30%
Macrothylacia rubi, the fox moth, is a lepidopteran belonging to the family Lasiocampidae. It was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae. This species can be found from Western Europe to Central Asia and Siberia. These moths live in open woodlands, moors and prairies.
The wingspan of the male is 40–65 mm. The wings are reddish brown in males while females are usually paler, more greyish in colour and slightly larger than males. Both sexes show two narrow, straight, light-yellow, transverse bands, running across the forewings. The abdomen is thick, grey brown and hairy. The caterpillars can reach a length of about 80 millimetres (3.1 in). They are initially black with bright yellow or orange segments, later they become darker, always covered with blackish and tawny-coloured hairs and with light grey hair on the sides.
It is a univoltine species. Between September and March the caterpillars hibernate in leaf litter. These moths take flight from May to July. The males usually fly in the afternoon and night, while the females fly only at night. Caterpillars feed on heather (Calluna) bramble... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hortobágy National Park | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 2 | Biebrza National Park | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 3 | Snowdonia National Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 4 | Mercantour National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 5 | Aigüestortes National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 6 | Cairngorms National Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 7 | Kiskunság National Park | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 8 | Picos de Europa National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 9 | Cévennes National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 10 | Pyrénées National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 11 | Tatra National Park | 🇸🇰 Slovakia | |
| 12 | Wadden Sea National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 13 | Ecrins National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 14 | Białowieża National Park | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 15 | Fertő-Hanság National Park | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 16 | Triglav National Park | 🇸🇮 Slovenia | |
| 17 | Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 18 | Bavarian Forest National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 19 | Sierra de Guadarrama National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Fox Moth sighting in Milan on a given day, based on 13 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 182nd most-seen of the 351 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
September and October
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Fox Moth in Milan on a given day, against under 5% in November to August, the lowest months.
Between noon and 3 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Fox Moth sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 15 cities where we can rate Fox Moth sightings, Milan ranks 5th at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Prague (Czechia, about 10%), Porto (Portugal, about 10%) and Stockholm (Sweden, about 10%).
Same order: Lepidoptera
The closest relatives of the Fox Moth that you can see in Milan (order Lepidoptera, Butterflies and Moths) are Red Admiral (about 30%), Small Copper (about 20%) and European Comma (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Fox Moth is recorded against all the insects logged in Milan (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.
