Xanthopastis regnatrix
In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%
Xanthopastis regnatrix, the Spanish moth or convict caterpillar, is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It occurs in the United States, where it is found from North Carolina to Texas and south to Florida. Strays have been recorded as far north as coastal New York, and inland as far north as Kentucky. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Everglades National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Big Cypress National Preserve | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Miami | 🇺🇸 United States |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Spanish Moth sighting in Everglades National Park on a given day, based on 121 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 30th most-seen of the 496 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 50%, and over a week to about 80%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April
In that month about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Spanish Moth in Everglades National Park on a given day, against under 5% in June to October, the lowest months. That is one of Everglades National Park's driest months, with about 65 mm of rain against 240 mm in June.
Between 1 and 4 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Spanish Moth sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 3 parks where we can rate Spanish Moth sightings, Everglades National Park has the highest daily chance: about 20%. Next come Big Cypress National Preserve (United States, about 20%) and Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge (United States, about 10%).
Same family: Noctuidae
The closest relatives of the Spanish Moth that you can see in Everglades National Park (family Noctuidae, Cutworm Moths and Allies) are Pearly Wood-Nymph (about 10%), Florida Fern Moth (about 10%) and Straight-Lined Seed Moth (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Spanish Moth is recorded against all the insects logged in Everglades National Park (121 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.
