Macrothylacia rubi
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%
Macrothylacia rubi, the fox moth, is a lepidopteran belonging to the family Lasiocampidae. It was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae. This species can be found from Western Europe to Central Asia and Siberia. These moths live in open woodlands, moors and prairies.
The wingspan of the male is 40–65 mm. The wings are reddish brown in males while females are usually paler, more greyish in colour and slightly larger than males. Both sexes show two narrow, straight, light-yellow, transverse bands, running across the forewings. The abdomen is thick, grey brown and hairy. The caterpillars can reach a length of about 80 millimetres (3.1 in). They are initially black with bright yellow or orange segments, later they become darker, always covered with blackish and tawny-coloured hairs and with light grey hair on the sides.
It is a univoltine species. Between September and March the caterpillars hibernate in leaf litter. These moths take flight from May to July. The males usually fly in the afternoon and night, while the females fly only at night. Caterpillars feed on heather (Calluna) bramble... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hortobágy National Park | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 2 | Biebrza National Park | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 3 | Snowdonia National Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 4 | Mercantour National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 5 | Aigüestortes National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 6 | Cairngorms National Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 7 | Kiskunság National Park | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 8 | Picos de Europa National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 9 | Cévennes National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 10 | Pyrénées National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 11 | Tatra National Park | 🇸🇰 Slovakia | |
| 12 | Wadden Sea National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 13 | Ecrins National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 14 | Białowieża National Park | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 15 | Fertő-Hanság National Park | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 16 | Triglav National Park | 🇸🇮 Slovenia | |
| 17 | Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 18 | Bavarian Forest National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 19 | Sierra de Guadarrama National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Fox Moth sighting in Fertő-Hanság National Park on a given day, based on 16 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 49th most-seen of the 243 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.
September
In that month about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Fox Moth in Fertő-Hanság National Park on a given day, against under 5% in June and November–March, the lowest months. That is one of Fertő-Hanság National Park's wettest months, with about 80 mm of rain against 30 mm in March.
Between noon and 3 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Fox 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.
15th of 19
Of the 19 parks where we can rate Fox Moth sightings, Fertő-Hanság National Park ranks 15th at about 10%. The best odds are in Hortobágy National Park (Hungary, about 30%), Biebrza National Park (Poland, about 30%) and Snowdonia National Park (United Kingdom, about 30%).
Same family: Lasiocampidae
The closest relatives of the Fox Moth that you can see in Fertő-Hanság National Park (family Lasiocampidae, Lappet Moths) are Grass Eggar (about 10%), The Lackey (about 10%) and Oak Eggar (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Fox Moth is recorded against all the insects logged in Fertő-Hanság National Park (16 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.
