Proteodes carnifex
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
Proteodes carnifex (also known as the mountain beech flat moth) is a species of moth in the family Depressariidae. It is endemic to New Zealand. Both the larvae and the adults of this species are variable in appearance. However the adults are normally easily identified as the outline is characteristic and the size is consistent. In appearance, adult moths mimic the leaves of their larval host plants. This species has been found near Wellington in the North Island, the tableland of Mount Arthur, in the Canterbury region, Arthur's Pass and at Lake Wakatipu in the South Island. The larval hosts of this species are southern beech trees, particularly black beech (Nothofagus solandri) and mountain beech (Nothofagus cliffortioides) but larvae have also been found on red beech (Nothofagus fusca), hard beech (Nothofagus truncata) and silver beech (Nothofagus menziesii). The female moth deposits her eggs individually on the underside of native beech tree leaves. Once hatched the larvae feed on those leaves through winter and spring and then pupate in January. The adult moth emerges from the pupa after fourteen days and is on the wing from January until April. They are day flying moths and are not attracted to light. Various insects parasitise the larvae of this moth including several species of wasp as well as flies including the endemic fly, Pales funesta. 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 Mountain Beech Flat Moth 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 108th 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.
January
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Mountain Beech Flat Moth in Fiordland National Park on a given day, against under 5% in March to November, the lowest months.
Between 8 and 11 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Mountain Beech Flat Moth 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 Mountain Beech Flat Moth sightings: about 10% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
Same genus: Proteodes
The closest relatives of the Mountain Beech Flat Moth that you can see in Fiordland National Park (genus Proteodes) are Proteodes profunda (about 10%) and Proteodes smithi (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Mountain Beech Flat Moth 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.
