Ichneutica moderata
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~50%
Ichneutica moderata is a moth of the family Noctuidae. This species is endemic to New Zealand and can be found from the Bay of Plenty south including the Chatham Islands. I. moderata inhabits open spaces in lowland to montane zones. Larvae likely feed on a variety of low growing herbaceous plants including on Raoulia species. Larvae create silk covered tunnels in the roots of their host plants. Pupa are enclosed in a loose silken cocoons and are sheltered amongst the host species roots. The adult moths are on the wing from October to April.
This species was first described by Francis Walker in 1865 using specimens collected in Nelson by Mr T. R. Oxley. Walker was unsure of the genus and so named the species Agrotis? moderata. The lectotype specimen is held by the Natural History Museum, London. Rudolf Felder and Alois Friedrich Rogenhofer also described this species, assuming it was new, in 1875 and named it Mamestra griseipennis. This name was synonymised with Aletia moderata by J. S. Dugdale in 1988. In 2019, Robert Hoare undertook a major review of New Zealand Noctuidae. During this review, the genus Ichneutica was greatly expanded and the genus Aletia was subsumed... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arthur's Pass National Park | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | |
| 2 | Fiordland National Park | 🇳🇿 New Zealand |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report an Ichneutica moderata sighting in Fiordland National Park on a given day, based on 15 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 and January
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report an Ichneutica moderata in Fiordland National Park on a given day, against under 5% in April to November, the lowest months.
Between 10 pm and 1 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Ichneutica moderata 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 Ichneutica moderata sightings, Fiordland National Park ranks 2nd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Arthur's Pass National Park (New Zealand, about 10%).
Same genus: Ichneutica
The closest relatives of the Ichneutica moderata that you can see in Fiordland National Park (genus Ichneutica) are New Zealand Cutworm (about 20%), Common Dotted Wainscot (about 10%) and Ichneutica atristriga (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Ichneutica moderata is recorded against all the insects logged in Fiordland National Park (15 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.
