Acherontia lachesis
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
Acherontia lachesis, the greater death's head hawkmoth or bee robber, is a large (up to 13 cm wingspan) sphingid moth found in India, Sri Lanka and much of the East Asian region. It is one of the three species of death's-head hawkmoth genus, Acherontia. The species was first described by Johan Christian Fabricius in 1798. It is nocturnal and very fond of honey; they can mimic the scent of honey bees so that they can enter a hive unharmed to get honey. Their tongue, which is stout and very strong, enables them to pierce the wax cells and suck the honey out. This species occurs throughout almost the entire Oriental region, from India, Pakistan and Nepal to the Philippines, and from southern Japan and the southern Russian Far East to Indonesia, where it attacks colonies of several different honey bee species. It has recently become established on the Hawaiian Islands.
A. lachesis is much larger than Acherontia styx. The segmental bands and grey stripe occupy so much of the abdomen that only small patches of yellow are left. The hindwing has a large black patch at the base. The medial and post-medial bands are so broad that only narrow bands of yellow remain. The ventral... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Khao Yai National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand |
More parks will be added in future updates.
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Greater Death's Head Hawkmoth sighting in Tainan on a given day, based on 8 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 81st most-seen of the 97 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.
August and December
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Greater Death's Head Hawkmoth in Tainan on a given day, against under 5% in January–May, July and September–November, the lowest months. Those are among Tainan's wettest months, with about 240 mm of rain a month against 30 mm in February.
Between 6 and 9 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Greater Death's Head Hawkmoth sightings with a recorded time, and about half of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is seen both by day and at night.
Among the best
Of the 15 cities where we can rate Greater Death's Head Hawkmoth sightings, Tainan ranks 2nd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Jakarta (Indonesia, about 10%).
Same family: Sphingidae
The closest relatives of the Greater Death's Head Hawkmoth that you can see in Tainan (family Sphingidae, Sphinx Moths) are Oleander Hawkmoth (about 10%), Vine Hawkmoth (about 10%) and Convolvulus Hawkmoth (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Greater Death's Head Hawkmoth is recorded against all the insects logged in Tainan (8 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.
