Coscinoptycha improbana
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
Coscinoptycha improbana, the Australian guava moth, is a moth of the family Carposinidae and only member of the genus Coscinoptycha. This species is native to Australia but is invasive to New Zealand since 1999 and New Caledonia since 2012. The larvae of this species have been recorded as feeding on a wide variety of fruits and nuts including agricultural crops such as citrus, plums, pears, peaches, feijoa and guava. As such this species is regarded as an agricultural pest. However using a pheromone dispenser armed with the synthesised sex pheromone of the asian peach moth can confuse C. improbana males and disrupt the breeding of this pest species.
This species was first described by Edward Meyrick in 1881. The syntype of this species is held at the Natural History Museum, London. Meyrick described this species as follows: ♂ ♀. 6+3⁄4"-7+1⁄2". Head silvery-white. Palpi white, basal two-thirds of second joint sharply dark fuscous beneath. Antennae in male fuscous, basal joint white; in female whitish. Thorax white, somewhat mixed with fuscous. Abdomen whitish. Legs whitish, anterior and middle tibiae and tarsi broadly banded with dark fuscous. Fore... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Blue Mountains National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
More parks will be added in future updates.
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report an Australian Guava Moth sighting in Sydney on a given day, based on 10 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 468th most-seen of the 742 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.
Any time of year
In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report an Australian Guava Moth in Sydney on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Australian Guava Moth sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
2nd of 2
Of the 2 cities where we can rate Australian Guava Moth sightings, Sydney ranks 2nd at under 5%. The best odds are in Auckland (New Zealand, about 20%).
Same order: Lepidoptera
The closest relatives of the Australian Guava Moth that you can see in Sydney (order Lepidoptera, Butterflies and Moths) are Bogong Moth (about 20%), Australian Common Crow (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 Australian Guava Moth is recorded against all the insects logged in Sydney (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.
