Curetis acuta
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
Curetis acuta, the angled sunbeam, is a species of butterfly belonging to the lycaenid family. It is found in Indomalayan realm. Curetis acuta is sexually dimorphic, the sexes differing in dorsal coloration of the wings, however their ventral wings are similar and of silver color which reflects sunlight. The reflection of light by silver ventral wings plays a role of signalling during flight, camouflage while at rest or during hibernation, and lowering body temperatures by reflecting the sunlight.
Forewing with broad black margins, broadest at the apex and at the hinder angle; the inner border of the black margin almost evenly rounded, the black marginal band running inwards also on the hinder margin, narrowing rapidly basally and terminating about the middle; a black spot at the end of the cell running into the costal black band; some greenish-brown irrorations at the base of the wing; apex very acute, the outer margin being somewhat concave below it, hinder angle triangular, hinder margin nearly as long as the costa, the outer margin consequently erect, though slightly sinuous. Hindwing with greenish-brown irrorations at the base and broadly on the abdominal area... Wikipedia →
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More parks will be added in future updates.
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report an Angled Sunbeam sighting in Tuen Mun on a given day, based on 11 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 295th most-seen of the 557 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.
May
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report an Angled Sunbeam in Tuen Mun on a given day, against under 5% in April, June, August–September and December–February, the lowest months. That is one of Tuen Mun's wettest months, with about 230 mm of rain against 20 mm in December.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Angled Sunbeam sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
8th of 11
Of the 11 cities where we can rate Angled Sunbeam sightings, Tuen Mun ranks 8th at about 10%. The best odds are in Nanjing (China, about 20%), Nagoya (Japan, about 10%) and Sendai (Japan, about 10%).
Same family: Lycaenidae
The closest relatives of the Angled Sunbeam that you can see in Tuen Mun (family Lycaenidae, Gossamer-winged Butterflies) are Pale Grass Blue (about 30%), Common Hedge Blue (about 30%) and Chocolate Royal (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Angled Sunbeam is recorded against all the insects logged in Tuen Mun (11 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.
