Pelopidas thrax
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~80%
Pelopidas thrax, the pale small-branded swift, millet skipper or white branded swift, is a butterfly belonging to the family Hesperiidae. It is found in Greece, western and south-western Turkey, Israel, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Arabia, most of Africa even semi-arid countries as Burkina Faso, Kashmir (northern Pakistan) and the parts of the Far East. In Greece, it is only known from Samos, Chios, and Rhodes, where it is found at altitudes of sea level to 75 meters.
The ground colour of the fore and hind wings is brown. The upper side has a series of white spots of different sizes. Males have a narrow white scent scale patch on the upper surface of the forewings. The translucent spots are arranged differently from Gegenes nostrodamus and Gegenes pumilio.
The egg is yellowish at first and later becomes salmon-colored. It is flattened, approximately 0.9mm high and 1.5mm in diameter. The surface is covered with about 60 very fine elongated ribs, which take up about two-thirds of the height (calculated from the base). They intersect with horizontal lines. The larvae hatch after eight days.
The caterpillar is up to 35 mm long (L6 stage). The body is light green with a darker... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | iSimangaliso Wetland Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | Garden Route National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Pale Small-Branded Swift sighting in Tel Aviv on a given day, based on 58 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 25th most-seen of the 264 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 80%, if each day is a fresh chance.
August
In that month about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Pale Small-Branded Swift in Tel Aviv on a given day, against under 5% in January and February, the lowest months. That is one of Tel Aviv's driest months, with almost no rain against 90 mm in January.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Pale Small-Branded Swift sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all 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 Pale Small-Branded Swift sightings, Tel Aviv ranks 2nd at about 20%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Antalya (Turkey, about 20%).
Same family: Hesperiidae
The closest relatives of the Pale Small-Branded Swift that you can see in Tel Aviv (family Hesperiidae, Skippers) are Mallow Skipper (about 10%), Olive-Haired Swift (about 10%) and Pygmy Skipper (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Pale Small-Branded Swift is recorded against all the insects logged in Tel Aviv (58 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.
