Xanthorhoe semifissata
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
Xanthorhoe semifissata, commonly known as the barred pink looper, is a moth in the family Geometridae. It is endemic to New Zealand and is found throughout the country although it is much less common in the mountains in the south and west of the South Island. The larval host plants include Nasturtium officinale as well as species in the genus Cardamine. Adult moths inhabit shrubs at the edge of native forest.
This species was first described by Francis Walker in 1862 using specimens collected in Nelson by T. R. Oxley and named Cohemia semifissata. In 1939 Louis Beethoven Prout placed this species in the genus Larentia. In 1971 J. S. Dugdale placed this species in the genus Helastia. The genus Helastia was restricted by Craw in 1987 placing this species into the genus Xanthorhoe. This placement was accepted in 1988 by Dugdale. The lectotype specimen is held at the Natural History Museum, London.
George Hudson described this species in 1898 as follows: The expansion of the wings is about an inch. The fore-wings of the male are pale pink; there are several wavy brown lines near the base, a very distinct brown central band, narrowest near the middle,... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rakiura National Park | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | |
| 2 | Fiordland National Park | 🇳🇿 New Zealand |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Barred Pink Carpet sighting in Fiordland National Park on a given day, based on 8 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 108th most-seen of the 201 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.
January, March–April and November
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Barred Pink Carpet in Fiordland National Park on a given day, against under 5% in February, May–October and December, the lowest months.
Between 9 pm and midnight
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Barred Pink Carpet sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is seen both by day and at night.
2nd of 2
Of the 2 parks where we can rate Barred Pink Carpet sightings, Fiordland National Park ranks 2nd at about 10%. The best odds are in Rakiura National Park (New Zealand, about 20%).
Same family: Geometridae
The closest relatives of the Barred Pink Carpet that you can see in Fiordland National Park (family Geometridae, Geometer Moths) are Lacebark Looper (about 20%), Forest Semilooper (about 20%) and Brown Forest Flash (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Barred Pink Carpet is recorded against all the insects logged in Fiordland National Park (8 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.
