Bombyx mandarina
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
Bombyx mandarina, the wild silk moth, is a species of moth in the family Bombycidae. It is the closest relative of Bombyx mori, the domesticated silk moth. The larvae (caterpillars) of both species are called silkworms, famous for producing the fibroinous cocoon that is harvested by humans for silk.
Unlike its domesticated relative, who has lost the ability to fly and is too synanthropic to even survive outside human cultivation, B. mandarina is a fairly ordinary moth. The main difference between the wild B. mandarina and the domesticated B. mori is that the former has a more slender body with well-developed wings in males, and is dull greyish-brown in colour.
Bombyx mandarina and the domesticated Bombyx mori constitute two of the currently identified eight species of the genus Bombyx, the true or mulberry silk moths. The origin of the domestic silk moth is enigmatic. It has been suggested that it is the survivor of an extinct species that diverged from the ancestors of Bombyx mandarina millions of years ago. However, this is based on an untenable molecular clock hypothesis that assumes that wild and domestic silk moths evolved equally fast after their... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Taroko National Park | 🇹🇼 Taiwan |
More parks will be added in future updates.
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Wild Silkmoth sighting in Seoul on a given day, based on 10 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 353rd most-seen of the 525 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 Wild Silkmoth in Seoul on a given day, against under 5% in August to June, the lowest months. That is one of Seoul's wettest months, with about 360 mm of rain against 20 mm in January.
Between 7 and 10 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Wild Silkmoth sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 3 cities where we can rate Wild Silkmoth sightings, Seoul ranks 3rd at under 5%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Tokyo (Japan, under 5%) and Taipei (Taiwan, under 5%).
Same order: Lepidoptera
The closest relatives of the Wild Silkmoth that you can see in Seoul (order Lepidoptera, Butterflies and Moths) are Asian Comma (about 20%), Pale Grass Blue (about 20%) and Small White (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Wild Silkmoth is recorded against all the insects logged in Seoul (10 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.
