Xylena exsoleta
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
Xylena exsoleta, the sword-grass, is a species of moth of the family Noctuidae. The wingspan is 58–68 mm. The length of the forewings is 24–29 mm. Forewing long and narrow. Differs from Xylena vetusta in being mainly dark or blackish grey, the ochreous ground showing only in a longitudinal streak above the median vein broadening along vein 5; orbicular stigma large and well-marked, with black linear centre and outline; lines marked by pairs of black spots on veins; submarginal line preceded by two wedgeshaped black marks which do not reach the reniform; hindwing dark fuscous. Co-extensive in range with vetusta; the form occurring in Central Asia is differentiated by Staudinger as ab. impudica, the ground colour being paler, more ashy grey, with less distinct markings; in ab. obscurata Spul. the whole forewing is suffused with brown; the opposite to this, in which all the black grey shading is absent and the whole forewing, except narrowly along costa, is pearly grey, may be called ab. pallescens ab. nov. [Warren]; in this the markings are as distinct as in the type form, and the hindwing is quite pale fuscous; there are 4 males of this form... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fertő-Hanság National Park | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 2 | Pyrénées National Park | 🇫🇷 France |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Sword-Grass sighting in Vienna on a given day, based on 17 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 666th 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.
May
In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Sword-Grass in Vienna on a given day, against under 5% in June to April, the lowest months.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Sword-Grass sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 2 cities where we can rate Sword-Grass sightings, Vienna ranks 2nd at under 5%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Rome (Italy, under 5%).
Same family: Noctuidae
The closest relatives of the Sword-Grass that you can see in Vienna (family Noctuidae, Cutworm Moths and Allies) are Silver Υ (about 20%), Large Yellow Underwing (about 10%) and Cotton Bollworm Moth (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Sword-Grass is recorded against all the insects logged in Vienna (17 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.
