Hyblaea puera
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~50%
Hyblaea puera, the teak defoliator, is a moth and cryptic species complex native to South Asia and Southeast Asia, though also reported from Central America and Africa. It was first described by Pieter Cramer in 1777. The caterpillar feeds on teak and other trees, and considered to be one of the major teak pests around the world.
Hyblaea puera occurs in forests across southern Asia from India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, and southeast Asia from Thailand to New Guinea, and north Queensland in Australia. The species has been reported from Guadeloupe, and Suriname.
The adult moths are comparatively small, with a wingspan of 3–4 cm (1.2–1.6 in), and have a characteristic resting posture that conceals the black and orange-yellow hindwings under the greyish-brown forewings. There are five larval instars, with the last instar measuring about 3.5–4.5 cm (1.4–1.8 in), and there is considerable colour variation in the fourth and fifth instars; the body may be either wholly black or dark greyish to black, with longitudinal coloured bands which may include a dorsal orange or ocherous band and lateral white lines.
The instars have characteristic feeding... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kanha National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 2 | Doi Inthanon National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 3 | Kaeng Krachan National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Teak Defoliator sighting in Doi Inthanon National Park on a given day, based on 6 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 131st most-seen of the 153 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
June
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Teak Defoliator in Doi Inthanon National Park on a given day, against under 5% in July to May, the lowest months. That is one of Doi Inthanon National Park's wettest months, with about 270 mm of rain against 20 mm in February.
Between 9 pm and midnight
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Teak Defoliator sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is mostly seen at night.
2nd of 3
Of the 3 parks where we can rate Teak Defoliator sightings, Doi Inthanon National Park ranks 2nd at about 10%. The best odds are in Kanha National Park (India, about 20%).
Same order: Lepidoptera
The closest relatives of the Teak Defoliator that you can see in Doi Inthanon National Park (order Lepidoptera, Butterflies and Moths) are Punchinello (about 40%), Lemon Pansy (about 30%) and Red Lacewing Butterfly (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Teak Defoliator is recorded against all the insects logged in Doi Inthanon National Park (6 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.
