Rhapsa scotosialis
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%
Rhapsa scotosialis, the slender owlet moth, is a moth of the family Erebidae under the superfamily Noctuoidea. This species is endemic to New Zealand and is found throughout the country. It is regarded as one of the most common forest moths found in New Zealand. The larval host species for R. scotosialis is Piper excelsum.
This species was first described by Francis Walker in 1866 from specimens collected in Nelson by T. R. Oxley. It was also described by Arthur Gardiner Butler in 1877 using the name Herminia lilacina. This latter name was subsequently synonymised by Edward Meyrick in 1887. In both 1898 and 1928 George Hudson discussed and illustrated this species in his books New Zealand moths and butterflies (Macro-lepidoptera) and The butterflies and moths of New Zealand. The male holotype specimen is held at the Natural History Museum, London.
The adults of this species were described by George Hudson as follows: The expansion of the wings is 1+3⁄8 inches. The fore-wings have the costa considerably arched towards the apex, and the termen is bowed outwards in the middle; the colour is pale brown in the male and dark brown in the female; there are... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rakiura National Park | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | |
| 2 | Egmont National Park | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | |
| 3 | Abel Tasman National Park | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | |
| 4 | Fiordland National Park | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | |
| 5 | Arthur's Pass National Park | 🇳🇿 New Zealand |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Auckland | 🇳🇿 New Zealand |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Slender Owlet Moth sighting in Fiordland National Park on a given day, based on 16 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 40th 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 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.
November and December
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Slender Owlet Moth in Fiordland National Park on a given day, against under 5% in March to September, the lowest months.
Between 8 and 11 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Slender Owlet Moth 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.
4th of 5
Of the 5 parks where we can rate Slender Owlet Moth sightings, Fiordland National Park ranks 4th at about 10%. The best odds are in Rakiura National Park (New Zealand, about 30%), Egmont National Park (New Zealand, about 20%) and Abel Tasman National Park (New Zealand, about 10%).
Same family: Erebidae
The closest relatives of the Slender Owlet Moth that you can see in Fiordland National Park (family Erebidae, Underwing, Tiger, Tussock, and Allied Moths) are Western Tiger Moth (about 10%), New Zealand Magpie Moth (about 10%) and Pinion-Streaked Snout (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Slender Owlet Moth is recorded against all the insects logged in Fiordland National Park (16 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.
