Sitochroa verticalis
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
Sitochroa verticalis, common name lesser pearl, is a species of moth of the family Crambidae. This species can be found in most of Europe, including British Islands. The distribution extends from west Portugal, across Central and Eastern Europe, Siberia to the Russian Far East and Japan. In the north the area extends to southern Sweden, in the south to Italy. These moths prefer open landscape with dry or slightly humid grassy areas.
Sitochroa verticalis can reach a wingspan of about 30–34 mm. These moths have yellowish or light ocher forewings with three thin brown cross lines, while the underside of the forewings are strongly-marked with dark brown lines. The hind wings are whitish yellow and have two darker transverse lines. The caterpillars are green, with a light brown head. They can reach a body length of about 29 mm (1.1 in). This species is rather similar to Ostrinia nubilalis.
These moths fly from May to August, with one to two generations, depending on the location. The second generation may occur in August and September. They are nocturnal and come to artificial light sources. Usually they hinbernate in a hibernaculum... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cévennes National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 2 | Sierra de Guadarrama National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kharkiv | 🇺🇦 Ukraine | |
| 2 | Novosibirsk | 🇷🇺 Russia | |
| 3 | Helsinki | 🇫🇮 Finland | |
| 4 | Milan | 🇮🇹 Italy | |
| 5 | Bucharest | 🇷🇴 Romania | |
| 6 | Budapest | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 7 | Nizhny Novgorod | 🇷🇺 Russia | |
| 8 | Lyon | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 9 | Vienna | 🇦🇹 Austria | |
| 10 | Kyiv | 🇺🇦 Ukraine |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Lesser Pearl sighting in Milan on a given day, based on 16 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 152nd 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 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.
May–June and August–October
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Lesser Pearl in Milan on a given day, against under 5% in July and November–April, the lowest months.
Between midnight and 3 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Lesser Pearl sightings with a recorded time, and about half of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is most active around dawn and dusk.
Among the best
Of the 16 cities where we can rate Lesser Pearl sightings, Milan ranks 4th at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Kharkiv (Ukraine, about 10%), Novosibirsk (Russia, about 10%) and Helsinki (Finland, about 10%).
Same family: Crambidae
The closest relatives of the Lesser Pearl that you can see in Milan (family Crambidae, Crambid Snout Moths) are Straw-Barred Pearl (about 10%), Rush Veneer (about 10%) and Rusty Dot Pearl (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Lesser Pearl is recorded against all the insects logged in Milan (16 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.
