Austrocidaria similata
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~50%
Austrocidaria similata is a species of moth of the family Geometridae. It is endemic to New Zealand and is found throughout the country, including offshore and subantarctic islands. It inhabits native forest and shrubland.
The white, oval eggs take about three weeks to mature. Larvae feed on Coprosma plants and mimic the appearance of a moss-covered twig. It has been hypothesised that the species overwinters as larvae. The larvae pupate on the ground, with the pupa being enclosed in a thin cocoon made up of silk and refuse. Adults are on the wing all year but are most commonly observed from October until March. Adults are nocturnal and are attracted to light. During the day they can be observed resting on tree trunks, where their forewing colouration provides camouflage protection from predators.
The species was first described by Francis Walker in 1862 using a specimen obtained by William Colenso, collected either in Hawke's Bay or Taupō, and named Cidaria similata. In 1875 Felder and Rogenhofer named it Cidaria timarata, thinking they were describing a new species. This name was synonymised by Edward Meyrick in 1883. George Hudson discussed and illustrated the species... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rakiura National Park | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | |
| 2 | Fiordland National Park | 🇳🇿 New Zealand |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Auckland | 🇳🇿 New Zealand |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Dark Coprosma Carpet sighting in Fiordland National Park on a given day, based on 13 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 56th most-seen of the 201 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February and December
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Dark Coprosma Carpet in Fiordland National Park on a given day, against under 5% in March to October, the lowest months.
Between 9 pm and midnight
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Dark Coprosma Carpet sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 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 Dark Coprosma Carpet sightings, Fiordland National Park ranks 2nd at about 10%. The best odds are in Rakiura National Park (New Zealand, about 20%).
Same genus: Austrocidaria
The closest relatives of the Dark Coprosma Carpet that you can see in Fiordland National Park (genus Austrocidaria) are Green Coprosma Carpet (about 10%), Austrocidaria umbrosa (about 10%) and Austrocidaria cedrinodes (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Dark Coprosma Carpet is recorded against all the insects logged in Fiordland National Park (13 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.
