Helastia alba
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
Helastia alba is a moth of the family Geometridae. This species is endemic to New Zealand and is found only in the South Island. This species inhabits native forest or scrubland and can be observed in montane to subalpine Nothofagus dominant forests. It has also been observed at lower altitudes in native podocarp forests. Larvae of this species have been raised on mosses. Adults are on the wing from November to January and are nocturnal. This species is very similar in appearance to other species in the genus Helastia, but specimens can be distinguished by the dissection of their genitalia.
This species was first described by Robin C. Craw in 1987. The male holotype, collected by Merlin Owen Pascoe in Queenstown, is held in the New Zealand Arthropod Collection. Craw described this species as follows: Small to medium sized (r.f.l. 9-12.5mm) triangular forewing. Upper side forewing coloration and pattern dull whitish to whitish grey with dark brown to brown-ish ochreous wavy transverse lines. Male antennae bipectinated.
This species is endemic to New Zealand. This species is found only in the South Island and has been observed in... 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 a Helastia alba sighting in Fiordland National Park on a given day, based on 7 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 171st 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.
December and January
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Helastia alba in Fiordland National Park on a given day, against under 5% in February to November, the lowest months.
Between 10 pm and 1 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Helastia alba sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is mostly seen 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 Helastia alba sightings: about 10% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
Same genus: Helastia
The closest relatives of the Helastia alba that you can see in Fiordland National Park (genus Helastia) are Helastia cinerearia (about 10%), Helastia plumbea (about 10%) and Helastia corcularia (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Helastia alba is recorded against all the insects logged in Fiordland National Park (7 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.
