Eterusia aedea
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~50%
Eterusia aedea, the red slug caterpillar, is a species of moth in the family Zygaenidae. It was described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1763 Centuria Insectorum. It is found in Sri Lanka, India, Nepal, Taiwan, Japan and China.
The wingspan is about 50 mm for males and 56 mm for females. They have a semi-diurnal habit and rather elongated narrow body. The first two segments of the abdomen are black, and there are no dorsal bands in the male. The forewings are dark green. The basal black area of the hindwings is larger, reducing the width of the yellow band, which is very pale. The end of the abdomen is black in the male.
The larvae have been recorded feeding on a wide range of plants, including Bischofia javanica, Aporosa lindleyana, Aporosa villosa, Cornus florida, Lagerstroemia, Melastoma candidum, Myrica rubra, Sloanea formosana, Rhododendron, Symplocos glauca, Camellia (including C. japonica, C. sasanqua, C. sinensis, C. oleifera), Eurya japonica, Eurya septata, Cleyera japonica and Buddleja. The larvae of subspecies aedea, sinica, formosana, cingala and virescens have been reported as pests on tea.
Eterusia aedea aedea (Linnaeus, 1763)... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Periyar National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 2 | Taroko National Park | 🇹🇼 Taiwan | |
| 3 | Sinharaja Forest Reserve | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | |
| 4 | Khao Yai National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Red Slug Caterpillar sighting in Taipei on a given day, based on 123 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 90th most-seen of the 765 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
June
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Red Slug Caterpillar in Taipei on a given day, against under 5% in August and September, the lowest months. That is one of Taipei's wettest months, with about 270 mm of rain against 90 mm in February.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Red Slug Caterpillar sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 4 cities where we can rate Red Slug Caterpillar sightings, Taipei has the highest daily chance: about 10%. Next come Hong Kong (China, about 10%) and Tuen Mun (China, about 10%).
Same family: Zygaenidae
The closest relatives of the Red Slug Caterpillar that you can see in Taipei (family Zygaenidae, Burnet Moths) are Histia flabellicornis (about 20%) and Gynautocera rubriscutellata (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Red Slug Caterpillar is recorded against all the insects logged in Taipei (123 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.
