Byblia ilithyia
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~60%
Byblia ilithyia, the spotted joker or joker, is a species of nymphalid butterfly found in parts of Africa and Asia. The male has the upperwings of a deep rich orange. The forewing has the costa broadly black until nearly the apex. The cell has three narrow short black bands, the inner and outer not reaching the median vein. An irregular black spot from dorsum to vein 4, continues very narrowly along that vein to meet an oblique irregular band from just beyond the middle of the costa. A postdiscal broad transverse black band from dorsum to vein 4, with the portions of the veins beyond it defined in black. The apex of the wing beyond the broad black edging to the costal border has its upper margin and the terminal portions of the veins defined in black; finally a narrow terminal band. The hindwing has an elongate black sub-costal patch near base, continued posteriorly across the cell by an inner and an outer series of small transverse spots; a complete broad black postdiscal band with the portions of the veins beyond it lined with black, and a narrow black terminal band as on the forewing. Cilia of forewings and hindwings white, alternated... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Meru National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 2 | Waterberg Plateau Park | 🇳🇦 Namibia | |
| 3 | Tsavo East National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 4 | Kruger National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 5 | Pilanesberg National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 6 | Etosha National Park | 🇳🇦 Namibia | |
| 7 | Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Coimbatore | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 2 | Salem | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 3 | Pretoria | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 4 | Johannesburg | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 5 | Chennai | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 6 | Durban | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Spotted Joker sighting in Etosha National Park on a given day, based on 15 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 7th most-seen of the 21 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April and December–January
In those months about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Spotted Joker in Etosha National Park on a given day, against under 5% in March, May–June and September–November, the lowest months. Those are among Etosha National Park's wettest months, with about 45 mm of rain a month against almost none in June.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Spotted Joker sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
6th of 7
Of the 7 parks where we can rate Spotted Joker sightings, Etosha National Park ranks 6th at about 10%. The best odds are in Meru National Park (Kenya, about 40%), Waterberg Plateau Park (Namibia, about 30%) and Tsavo East National Park (Kenya, about 30%). All parks ranked.
Same family: Nymphalidae
The closest relatives of the Spotted Joker that you can see in Etosha National Park (family Nymphalidae, Brush-footed Butterflies) are Two-Tailed Pasha (about 20%), Plain Tiger Butterfly (about 20%) and Guineafowl Butterfly (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Spotted Joker is recorded against all the insects logged in Etosha National Park (15 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.
