Plagodis dolabraria
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
Plagodis dolabraria, the scorched wing, is a moth of the family Geometridae. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in 1767. It is found throughout Europe and through the Palearctic, east to Transcaucasia, south east Siberia and Japan.
The wingspan is 28–32 mm. The length of the forewings is 16–19 mm. Forewing with innumerable fine, slightly oblique, transverse striae, no distinct lines; the postmedian on both wings indicated by a thick dark fuscous shade posteriorly, distally to which (especially on hindwing) there is an ill-defined purplish blotch reaching to the hinder angle. Ab. atrox Zerny is a melanotic form, forewing mostly dark chestnut brown, towards the base and hinder angle black.
The moth flies in one generation from the beginning of May to mid-July [1]. The larva is twig like, brownish and variegated. The thorax is darker dorsally, there is a hump on the 5th abdominal and a transverse mark near the tail is also dark.
The larva feeds on various deciduous trees such as oak, birch and sallow. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Snowdonia National Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 2 | Cévennes National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 3 | Bavarian Forest National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 4 | Pyrénées National Park | 🇫🇷 France |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vienna | 🇦🇹 Austria |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Scorched Wing sighting in Vienna on a given day, based on 9 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 1028th most-seen of the 1406 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 a Scorched Wing in Vienna on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.
Between 10 pm and 1 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Scorched Wing sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is seen both by day and at night.
Only Vienna, in our data
Vienna is the only city on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Scorched Wing sightings: under 5% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
Same family: Geometridae
The closest relatives of the Scorched Wing that you can see in Vienna (family Geometridae, Geometer Moths) are Mottled Umber (about 20%), Small Dusty Wave (about 10%) and Willow Beauty (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Scorched Wing is recorded against all the insects logged in Vienna (9 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.
