Pelopidas mathias
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
Pelopidas mathias, the dark small-branded swift, small branded swift, lesser millet skipper or black branded swift, is a butterfly belonging to the family Hesperiidae. It is found throughout much of south, southeast and East Asia, and as far as the Philippines. It is also present in tropical Africa and Arabia.
In 1891, Edward Yerbury Watson described it as: Male. Upperside olive brown: forewing with two small yellowish semi-transparent spots within end of cell, three before the apex, and in the male three oblique discal spots followed by a dark-bordered slender straight impressed glandular streak: hindwing with one or two very indistinct pale discal spots. Female with five discal spots in the forewing, and four or five in the hindwing. Underside paler; markings more distinct; hindwing also with a spot at upper end of the cell. Expanse 1.6 inch. (Moore)
P. mathias is considered a pest to rice-growing cultures, although it is not as damaging to rice plants as Parnara guttata. Newly hatched caterpillars are especially voracious in eating young seedlings. They also use silken threads to roll up and stitch together partially eaten leaves for more... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
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More parks will be added in future updates.
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Small Branded Swift sighting in New Delhi on a given day, based on 12 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 92nd most-seen of the 174 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.
October
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Small Branded Swift in New Delhi on a given day, against under 5% in August and November–June, the lowest months. That is one of New Delhi's driest months, with about 15 mm of rain against 220 mm in July.
12th of 18
Of the 18 cities where we can rate Small Branded Swift sightings, New Delhi ranks 12th at about 10%. The best odds are in Nagoya (Japan, about 20%), Prayagraj (India, about 20%) and Tokyo (Japan, about 10%).
Same family: Hesperiidae
The closest relatives of the Small Branded Swift that you can see in New Delhi (family Hesperiidae, Skippers) are Indian Palm Bob (about 10%), Common Banded Awl (about 10%) and Asian Grizzled Skipper (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Small Branded Swift is recorded against all the insects logged in New Delhi (12 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.
