Mesapamea secalis
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
Mesapamea secalis, the common rustic, is a moth of the family Noctuidae. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae. It is found in Europe, north-west Africa, Turkey and northern Iran.
The species was formerly considered the same species as the lesser common rustic (Mesapamea didyma) and Remm's rustic (Mesapamea remmi). All three were raised to species level. See Townsend et al. for diagnoses. P. secalis L. (= lamda View., lancea Esp., vilis Hbn.). Forewing varying in ground colour from bluish white, cream white, through pale and dark grey, sometimes ochreous or brownish-tinged, to grey brown, redbrown. or purplish brown; the median area and terminal area darker, fuscous brown or blackish brown, generally with a broad black brown streak from below the claviform stigma along submedian fold to outer line; a black dash from base below cell, and a black streak above inner margin near base; inner and outer lines double, dark, conversely lunulate-dentate; submarginal line pale with a narrow dark shading preceding it; claviform stigma small, black-edged; orbicular oblique, oval, of the ground colour... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
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More parks will be added in future updates.
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Common Rustic sighting in Portland on a given day, based on 30 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 281st most-seen of the 507 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.
July
In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Common Rustic in Portland on a given day, against under 5% in August to June, the lowest months. That is one of Portland's driest months, with about 10 mm of rain against 250 mm in December.
Among the best
Of the 3 cities where we can rate Common Rustic sightings, Portland ranks 2nd at under 5%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in London (United Kingdom, under 5%).
Same family: Noctuidae
The closest relatives of the Common Rustic that you can see in Portland (family Noctuidae, Cutworm Moths and Allies) are Large Yellow Underwing (about 20%), Lesser Yellow Underwing (about 10%) and Alfalfa Looper (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Common Rustic is recorded against all the insects logged in Portland (30 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.
