Crocidosema plebejana
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
Crocidosema plebejana, the cotton tipworm, is a tortrix moth (family Tortricidae), belonging to tribe Eucosmini of subfamily Olethreutinae. It is found today all over the subtropical and tropical regions of the world and even occurs on many oceanic islands – in Polynesia and Saint Helena for example – but has probably been accidentally introduced to much of its current range by humans. In addition, it is also found in some cooler regions, e.g. in Europe except in the east and north; this is probably also not natural, as it was, for example, not recorded in the British Isles before 1900.
It is the type species of its genus Crocidosema, established by Philipp Christoph Zeller when he described the present species in 1847, as he found it unlike any moth then known to science. The wingspan of adults is 12–16 mm. Males are dark brown to black with a white ocellus and dorsal patch. Females are pale brown to tan with a dark basal patch that does not extend to the costa. Julius von Kennel provides a full description.
In the seasonal parts of its range, this moth flies from midsummer to early autumn, e.g. from July to October in southern England. It is not quite... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Booderee National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Blue Mountains National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 3 | Daintree National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 4 | Lamington National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Cotton Tipworm Moth sighting in San Diego on a given day, based on 54 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 172nd 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.
July
In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Cotton Tipworm Moth in San Diego on a given day, against under 5% in August to June, the lowest months. That is one of San Diego's driest months, with almost no rain against 55 mm in February.
Between 7 and 10 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Cotton Tipworm Moth sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is most active around dawn and dusk.
4th of 9
Of the 9 cities where we can rate Cotton Tipworm Moth sightings, San Diego ranks 4th at under 5%. The best odds are in Auckland (New Zealand, about 10%), Brisbane (Australia, about 10%) and Madrid (Spain, under 5%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Cotton Tipworm Moth is recorded against all the insects logged in San Diego (54 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.
