Izatha acmonias
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
Izatha acmonias is a moth of the family Oecophoridae. It was first described by Alfred Philpott in 1921. This species is endemic to New Zealand, where it is known from the western parts of the South Island. Much of the life history of this species is known however it has been hypothesised that larvae feed on dead Hoheria lyallii. Adults are on the wing from November until January.
This species was first described by Alfred Philpott in 1921. Philpott Hudson discussed and illustrated this species in 1928 in his book The butterflies and moths of New Zealand however Hudson included I. acmonias, I. picarella, and I. lignyarcha in his concept of that species. In 1988 John S. Dugdale, thinking that this species was the same as I. picarellas, synonymised I. acmonias with that species. Robert J. B. Hoare reinstated I. acmonias in 2010. The male holotype specimen, collected in Tisbury by Philpott, is held at the New Zealand Arthropod Collection.
As at 2010 the larvae of this species are unknown. The wingspan is 21–28.5 mm for males and 23–35 mm for females. Philpott described this species as follows: ♂♀. 25-28mm. Head white. Palpi white. Antennae brownish-black... 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 Izatha acmonias sighting in Fiordland National Park on a given day, based on 9 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 147th 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
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report an Izatha acmonias 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 Izatha acmonias 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.
Only Fiordland National Park, in our data
Fiordland National Park is the only park on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Izatha acmonias sightings: about 10% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
Same genus: Izatha
The closest relatives of the Izatha acmonias that you can see in Fiordland National Park (genus Izatha, Lichen Tuft Moths) are Izatha huttoni (about 10%) and Izatha heroica (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Izatha acmonias is recorded against all the insects logged in Fiordland National Park (9 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.
