Asaphodes adonis
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~50%
Asaphodes adonis (also known as the exquisite carpet moth) is a species of moth in the family Geometridae. It is endemic to the South Island of New Zealand. It is found in native forest at altitudes of between 300 and 1200 metres. The larvae of A. adonis are extremely sluggish in habit, resting on stems of food plant and feeding on the dead portions. Larvae have been reared on species of Ranunculus. George Hudson stated that a larval food plant of this species is Nasturtium officinale. Adults are on the wing in January and February. It can be found during the day resting on tree trunks, camouflaged against similar coloured lichen growth.
This species was first described by George Vernon Hudson in 1898 under the name Xanthorhoe adonis using specimens collected at Castle Hill or at the Routeburn. Hudson went on to discuss and illustrate this species in his book The butterflies and moths of New Zealand. He then described the larvae of this species in his 1939 publication A supplement to the butterflies and moths of New Zealand. In 1939 Louis Beethoven Prout placed this species in the genus Larentia. This placement was not accepted by New Zealand taxonomists. In 1971 J... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fiordland National Park | 🇳🇿 New Zealand |
More parks will be added in future updates.
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report an Exquisite Carpet sighting in Fiordland National Park on a given day, based on 10 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 96th 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 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
January
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report an Exquisite Carpet in Fiordland National Park on a given day, against under 5% in February to November, the lowest months.
Between 9 pm and midnight
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Exquisite 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.
Only Fiordland National Park, in our data
Fiordland National Park is the only park on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Exquisite Carpet sightings: about 10% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
Same genus: Asaphodes
The closest relatives of the Exquisite Carpet that you can see in Fiordland National Park (genus Asaphodes) are Large Striped Carpet (about 10%), Bright Green Carpet (about 10%) and Asaphodes aegrota (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Exquisite Carpet is recorded against all the insects logged in Fiordland National Park (10 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.
