Apantesis ursina
Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at San Diego

In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%

30 Verified sightings at San Diego
14 In 1 park From 2019 to 2026
March Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Apantesis ursina

Apantesis ursina is a moth of the family Erebidae. It was described by Schmidt in 2009. It is found on the Channel Islands off the coast of southern California and in mainland south-western California from Kern County south to San Diego County. It is probably also present in Baja California.

The length of the forewings is 15.3 mm for males and 16.7 mm for females. The ground colour of the forewings is dark brown with buff to yellowish-buff bands. The hindwings are pale pink to orange-pink with a black pattern. Adults are generally on wing from mid September to early October, but there are some records from mid August to early February. There is probably one generation per year.

This species was formerly a member of the genus Grammia, but was moved to Apantesis along with the other species of the genera Grammia, Holarctia, and Notarctia. Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Channel Islands National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%

More parks will be added in future updates.

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 San Diego 🇺🇸 United States
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing an Apantesis ursina in San Diego?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report an Apantesis ursina sighting in San Diego on a given day, based on 30 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 345th most-seen of the 693 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.

When is the best time to see an Apantesis ursina in San Diego?

Any time of year

In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report an Apantesis ursina in San Diego on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.

What time of day is best to see an Apantesis ursina?

Between 10 am and 1 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Apantesis ursina sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Where else can you see an Apantesis ursina?

Only San Diego, in our data

San Diego is the only city on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Apantesis ursina sightings: under 5% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.

Which relatives of the Apantesis ursina live in San Diego?

Same family: Erebidae

The closest relatives of the Apantesis ursina that you can see in San Diego (family Erebidae, Underwing, Tiger, Tussock, and Allied Moths) are Salt Marsh Moth (about 10%), Western Tussock Moth (about 10%) and Painted Tiger Moth (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Apantesis ursina sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Apantesis ursina is recorded against all the insects logged in San Diego (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.

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