Spodoptera picta
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~30%
Spodoptera picta, the lily caterpillar, is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It was described by Félix Édouard Guérin-Méneville in 1838. It is found from India, South-east Asia and Japan through Indonesia, Australia and the western part of South Pacific ocean to Fiji. Its caterpillars feeds on the leaves of plants in the Amaryllidaceae and Liliaceae families, and can be a significant pest in gardens.
The wingspan is about 40 mm. It is generally an ochreous-white moth, the head and thorax suffused with pinkish red. The forewings have some red on their costal base; there are numerous ill-defined waved black lines present between the base and antemedial line: the orbicular and claviform consisting of black rings; a medial pinkish red band, wide at costa narrowing to inner margin; the reniform with ochreous and black outlines and red centre; the postmedial double waved lines are filled in with ochreous and highly excurved beyond the cell; some black dashes can be seen on reddish patches beyond it. The hindwings are semi-hyaline white.
Caterpillars have smooth skin and are pale grey with a series of longitudinal black lines. Mesothorax also has dark patches with last abdominal... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Royal National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Daintree National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 3 | Blue Mountains National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Lily Caterpillar Moth sighting in Daintree National Park on a given day, based on 5 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 745th most-seen of the 856 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Lily Caterpillar Moth in Daintree National Park on a given day, against under 5% in May, July–August and October–February, the lowest months. That is one of Daintree National Park's wettest months, with about 330 mm of rain against 50 mm in September.
Between 1 and 4 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Lily Caterpillar Moth sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 3 parks where we can rate Lily Caterpillar Moth sightings, Daintree National Park ranks 2nd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Royal National Park (Australia, about 10%).
Same genus: Spodoptera
The closest relatives of the Lily Caterpillar Moth that you can see in Daintree National Park (genus Spodoptera, Armyworm Moths) are Oriental Leafworm Moth (about 10%), Lawn Armyworm Moth (about 10%) and African Armyworm Moth (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Lily Caterpillar Moth is recorded against all the insects logged in Daintree National Park (5 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), 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.
