Cryptaspasma querula
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%
Cryptaspasma querula is a moth of the family Tortricidae. It is endemic to New Zealand and can be found throughout the country. This species inhabits podocarp and broadleaf forest. The larvae consume parts of the seeds and fruits of tawa, tarairi and miro trees and are predated upon by the invasive to New Zealand house mouse. Larvae pupate in leaf litter under their host trees. Adults are variable in appearance and also in size. They are on the wing throughout the year and are nocturnal but are attracted to light. They can be found having flown inside houses and have also been observed resting on fences or other human made structures during the day.
This species was first described by Edward Meyrick in 1912 and named Eucosma querula. George Hudson in his 1928 book The butterflies and moths of New Zealand discussed and illustrated this species under that name. Also in 1928 Alfred Philpott studied the male genitalia of this species. Alexey Diakonoff placed this species within the genus Cryptaspasma in 1959. The male lectotype, collected in Wellington by George Hudson, is held at the Natural History Museum, London.
Meyrick described the adults of this... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Egmont National Park | 🇳🇿 New Zealand |
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Auckland | 🇳🇿 New Zealand |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Cryptaspasma querula sighting in Egmont National Park on a given day, based on 12 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 44th most-seen of the 191 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.
August
In that month about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Cryptaspasma querula in Egmont National Park on a given day, against under 5% in May–July and October–November, the lowest months.
Between 7 and 10 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Cryptaspasma querula sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is mostly seen at night.
Only Egmont National Park, in our data
Egmont National Park is the only park on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Cryptaspasma querula sightings: about 10% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
Same family: Tortricidae
The closest relatives of the Cryptaspasma querula that you can see in Egmont National Park (family Tortricidae, Tortricid Leafroller Moths) are Sharp-Tipped Bell Moth (about 10%), Painted Wedge (about 10%) and Capua semiferana (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Cryptaspasma querula is recorded against all the insects logged in Egmont National Park (12 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.
