Helastia corcularia
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~50%
Helastia corcularia is a moth of the family Geometridae. This species is endemic to New Zealand and is found only in the South Island and the Chatham Islands. It inhabits a wide variety of habitats including native forest and scrubland, gardens, parks, subalpine and coastal areas. Larvae feed on herbs, lichen and moss. The adults of the species are on the wing from September until May and are nocturnal and attracted to light. H. corcularia is considered an orchard and pack house contaminant.
This species was first described by Achille Guenée in 1868 using a specimen collected in Christchurch by Richard William Fereday and named Larentia corcularia. In the same publication and thinking he was describing another new species, Guenée also named this species Larentia infantaria. Robin C. Craw when revising this species in 1987 synonymised L. infantaria with L. corcularia. In 1877 Arthur Gardiner Butler synonymised H. corcularia with the species H. semisignata. This was followed by subsequent authors, including George Hudson in his 1928 publication, until Craw pointed out that the genitalia of both male and female specimens of H. corcularia were distinctly differently shaped... 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 Helastia corcularia 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.
December
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Helastia corcularia in Fiordland National Park on a given day, against under 5% in April to October, the lowest months.
Between 9 pm and midnight
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Helastia corcularia sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is mostly seen at night.
Among the best
Of the 2 parks where we can rate Helastia corcularia sightings, Fiordland National Park ranks 2nd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Rakiura National Park (New Zealand, about 10%).
Same genus: Helastia
The closest relatives of the Helastia corcularia that you can see in Fiordland National Park (genus Helastia) are Helastia cinerearia (about 10%), Helastia plumbea (about 10%) and Helastia cryptica (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Helastia corcularia 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.
