Scopula imitaria
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~50%
Scopula imitaria, the small blood-vein, is a moth of the family Geometridae. It was first described by Jacob Hübner in 1799 and it is found throughout Europe and in North Africa. The wingspan is 12–26 mm. (1st generation); the next generation is typically much smaller and reaches no more than 18 mm. The forewing leading edge (costa) forms an acute angle with the outer edge forming a sharp point. The hindwings also come to a sharp angle in the middle of the outer edge (a "tail"). The pattern and colouring are variable. The wings are reddish, yellowish or orange to light brown. The lines and marginal line are almost always clear, but fine. The median crossline is clearly developed and inclined slightly diagonally to the inner and outer crossline. It is slightly curved and very weakly wavy and often accompanied by a distal facing shadow. The interior and exterior crosslines are slightly wavy (more clearly than the median line). The hindwings have the pattern, however they often lack the inner crossline. The outer cross line shows a pointed bulge outwards, which follows the "tail" of the perimeter. Discal flecks are only sometimes present or weak, They are more pronounced... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sierra Nevada National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 2 | Cévennes National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 3 | Sierra de Guadarrama National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 4 | Pyrénées National Park | 🇫🇷 France |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Small Blood-Vein sighting in Porto on a given day, based on 58 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 100th most-seen of the 498 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
September
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Small Blood-Vein in Porto on a given day, against under 5% in November to March, the lowest months. That is one of Porto's driest months, with about 50 mm of rain against 140 mm in January.
Between 10 pm and 1 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Small Blood-Vein sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is mostly seen at night.
Among the best
Of the 8 cities where we can rate Small Blood-Vein sightings, Porto ranks 3rd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in London (United Kingdom, about 10%) and Turin (Italy, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Small Blood-Vein is recorded against all the insects logged in Porto (58 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.
