Aedia leucomelas
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~50%
Aedia leucomelas, the eastern alchymist, sweet potato leaf worm or sorcerer, is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It is found in large parts of the world, ranging from Europe all over Asia up to Japan and some African countries. The subspecies Aedia leucomelas acronyctoides is found in Australia.
The wingspan is about 38 millimetres (1.5 in). Antennae of male almost simple. Forelegs of male lack scaly tufts and long fringes. Body fuscous. Thorax and forewings suffused with olive or white. Forewings with indistinct sub-basal and waved antemedial lines. There are traces of orbicular, reniform, and claviform spots. A postmedial double waved line slightly excurved beyond cell. Traces of an irregular sub-marginal lines present, along with a marginal black specks series. Hindwings pure white, where the inner margin fuscous suffused. Outer half of wings black with white patches at apex and anal angle. Ventral side of forewings with basal two thirds white, with spot at end of cell.
The moth flies from June to September depending on the location. The larvae mainly feed on Convolvulus species, including C. sepium, C. erubescens and C. arvensis, but also on Ipomoea pes-caprae,... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Daintree National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Blue Mountains National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 3 | Pyrénées National Park | 🇫🇷 France |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a The Sorcerer sighting in Porto on a given day, based on 79 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 88th most-seen of the 498 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
August
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a The Sorcerer in Porto on a given day, against under 5% in November to April, the lowest months. That is one of Porto's driest months, with about 20 mm of rain against 140 mm in January.
Between 7 and 10 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most The Sorcerer 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.
Yes
Of the 5 cities where we can rate The Sorcerer sightings, Porto has the highest daily chance: about 10%. Next come Turin (Italy, about 10%) and Lyon (France, under 5%).
Same family: Noctuidae
The closest relatives of the The Sorcerer that you can see in Porto (family Noctuidae, Cutworm Moths and Allies) are Variegated Cutworm Moth (about 20%), Armyworm Moth (about 20%) and Scarce Merveille Du Jour (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the The Sorcerer is recorded against all the insects logged in Porto (79 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.
