Rhesala moestalis
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
Rhesala moestalis is a species of moth of the family Erebidae first described by Francis Walker in 1866. It is found throughout subtropical Africa, from Sierra Leone in the west to Somalia in the east and South Africa in the south. It is also found on most of the African Indian Ocean islands. and in South and South-East Asia.
They have a wingspan of 14–20 mm. The larvae feed on Fabaceae species, such as Acacia mellifera, Acacia tortilis and Albizia lebbeck. In India they have been recorded as a pest of nursery and young shade trees in tea plantations with a preference for Albizia odoratissima, Albizia procera as well as Albizia lebbeck. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | iSimangaliso Wetland Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | Kruger National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Thiruvananthapuram | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 2 | Nairobi | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 3 | Pretoria | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 4 | Mumbai | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 5 | Hyderabad | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 6 | Kochi | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 7 | New Delhi | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 8 | Johannesburg | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 9 | Bengaluru | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 10 | Singapore | 🇸🇬 Singapore |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Small Cloth sighting in New Delhi on a given day, based on 7 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 139th most-seen of the 174 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
August to October
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Small Cloth in New Delhi on a given day, against under 5% in November to July, the lowest months. Those are among New Delhi's wettest months, with about 110 mm of rain a month against almost none in November.
Between 1 and 4 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Small Cloth sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
7th of 10
Of the 10 cities where we can rate Small Cloth sightings, New Delhi ranks 7th at under 5%. The best odds are in Thiruvananthapuram (India, about 10%), Nairobi (Kenya, about 10%) and Pretoria (South Africa, about 10%).
Same family: Erebidae
The closest relatives of the Small Cloth that you can see in New Delhi (family Erebidae, Underwing, Tiger, Tussock, and Allied Moths) are Seven-Spotted Handmaiden Moth (about 20%), Handmaiden Moth (about 10%) and Castor Semi-Looper (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Small Cloth is recorded against all the insects logged in New Delhi (7 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.
