Cyclophora albipunctata
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
Cyclophora albipunctata, the birch mocha, is a moth of the family Geometridae. The species was first described by Johann Siegfried Hufnagel in 1767. It is found in the Palearctic. The southern boundary runs westward along the French Atlantic coast and to the British Isles and north of the Alps. In the east, the species ranges to the Pacific Ocean (Russian Far East). South of the northern Alps line, it is found at some high elevation areas and mountains. In the Pyrenees, the Massif Central, the southern Alps, the northern Dinaric Alps, in the western and northern Carpathians, in northern Turkey and the Caucasus. In the north, the range extends up to the Arctic Circle. In the Far East the nominate subspecies is replaced by Cyclophora albipunctata griseolata Staudinger, 1897.
The wingspan is 20–25 mm. The apex of the forewing is slightly pointed. The ground colour is usually white, or whitish grey to light brown. Some specimens are over dusted with reddish. The pattern is very variable. Interior and exterior crosslines are almost always in a series of points or may be almost extinguished. Slight points are usually found on the costa: the costa can be over dusted dark in the basal half. A median band can be quite clearly present but also virtually absent. Margin stains are almost always developed, significant and mostly flowing into each other, slightly darker in the margin field. The discal spots are developed as a dark, white centred rings. These can be also slightly elliptical, or be reduced to simple, slightly reddish stains. The discal spots of the forewings are often bordered with brown red, but if present, the discal spots of the hindwings are, however, mostly black.
The larvae feed on Betula species, including B. verrucosa, B. pubescens, B. nana and B. pendula. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cairngorms National Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 2 | Bavarian Forest National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 3 | Wadden Sea National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Birch Mocha sighting in Moscow on a given day, based on 28 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 333rd most-seen of the 1111 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 Birch Mocha in Moscow on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.
Between 11 pm and 2 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Birch Mocha sightings with a recorded time, and about half of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is seen both by day and at night.
Among the best
Of the 2 cities where we can rate Birch Mocha sightings, Moscow ranks 2nd at under 5%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Helsinki (Finland, under 5%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Birch Mocha is recorded against all the insects logged in Moscow (28 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.
