Arachnis picta
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
Arachnis picta, the painted tiger moth, is a moth of the family Erebidae. The species was first described by Alpheus Spring Packard in 1864. It is found in the Southwestern United States and the bordering parts of Mexico.
The wingspan is about 50 mm. The moth flies during the summer. The larvae feed on herbaceous plants, such as Lupinus, radish and Acanthus species. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Channel Islands National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Diego | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Los Angeles | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | San Francisco | 🇺🇸 United States |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Painted Tiger Moth sighting in San Francisco on a given day, based on 64 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 197th most-seen of the 737 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.
October
In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Painted Tiger Moth in San Francisco on a given day, against under 5% in November to September, the lowest months. That is one of San Francisco's driest months, with about 25 mm of rain against 110 mm in December.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Painted Tiger Moth sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
3rd of 3
Of the 3 cities where we can rate Painted Tiger Moth sightings, San Francisco ranks 3rd at under 5%. The best odds are in San Diego (United States, about 10%) and Los Angeles (United States, under 5%).
Same family: Erebidae
The closest relatives of the Painted Tiger Moth that you can see in San Francisco (family Erebidae, Underwing, Tiger, Tussock, and Allied Moths) are Spotted Tussock Moth (about 10%) and Western Tussock Moth (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Painted Tiger Moth is recorded against all the insects logged in San Francisco (64 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.
