Spodoptera litura
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~30%
Spodoptera litura, otherwise known as the tobacco cutworm or cotton leafworm, is a nocturnal moth in the family Noctuidae. S. litura is a serious polyphagous pest in Asia, Oceania, and the Indian subcontinent that was first described by Johan Christian Fabricius in 1775. Its common names reference two of the most frequent host plants of the moth. In total, 87 species of host plants that are infested by S. litura are of economic importance. The species parasitize the plants as larvae through vigorous eating patterns, oftentimes leaving the leaves completely destroyed. The moth destroys economically important agricultural crops and decreases yield in some plants completely. Their potential impact on the many different cultivated crops, and subsequently the local agricultural economy, has led to serious efforts to control the pests.
S. litura is often confused with its close relative, Spodoptera littoralis. These two species are hard to discriminate between because the larvae and adult forms are identical. Inspecting the genitalia is the most certain way to tell the two species apart.
There are slight but obvious differences in morphology... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kanha National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 2 | Daintree National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 3 | Springbrook National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 4 | Blue Mountains National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 5 | Lamington National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report an Oriental Leafworm Moth sighting in Nanjing on a given day, based on 5 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 242nd most-seen of the 272 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.
October
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report an Oriental Leafworm Moth in Nanjing on a given day, against under 5% in December to August, the lowest months. That is one of Nanjing's driest months, with about 55 mm of rain against 240 mm in July.
Between 7 and 10 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Oriental Leafworm Moth 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.
20th of 28
Of the 28 cities where we can rate Oriental Leafworm Moth sightings, Nanjing ranks 20th at about 10%. The best odds are in Vijayawada (India, about 30%), Auckland (New Zealand, about 20%) and Prayagraj (India, about 10%).
Same order: Lepidoptera
The closest relatives of the Oriental Leafworm Moth that you can see in Nanjing (order Lepidoptera, Butterflies and Moths) are Common Bluebottle (about 30%), Pieris latouchei (about 30%) and Chinese Yellow Swallowtail (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Oriental Leafworm Moth is recorded against all the insects logged in Nanjing (5 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.
