Etiella behrii
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
Etiella behrii (common names include lucerne seed web moth, small tabby and pyralid moth) is a species of moth of the family Pyralidae, occurring sporadically but when present considered a serious pest of agricultural crops throughout parts of Australia.
The name "lucerne seed web moth" comes from the behaviour of a newly hatched larva spinning a protective web around itself. Etiella behrii is found in much of South East Asia including Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia. and most of Australia. It also occurs throughout Australia in Northern Territory, Queensland, New South Wales, ACT, Victoria, and Western Australia.
More recently E. behrii has been discovered to migrate 250 km (160 mi) over the Bass Strait to Tasmania where its detection coincides with the arrival of multiple known migratory species usually after suitable airflows for migration occur across the Bass Strait. However, it theorised that E. behrii is prevented from breeding and establishing in Tasmania due to a lack of winter diapause and the absence of observed larvae.
This species was first described by German entomologist Philipp Christoph Zeller in 1848 in his works, Exotische Phycideen... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Blue Mountains National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Grampians National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 3 | Great Otway National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Small Tabby sighting in Great Otway National Park on a given day, based on 9 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 226th most-seen of the 418 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.
November
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Small Tabby in Great Otway National Park on a given day, against under 5% in January to September, the lowest months.
Between 7 and 10 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Small Tabby sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is seen both by day and at night.
Among the best
Of the 3 parks where we can rate Small Tabby sightings, Great Otway National Park ranks 3rd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Blue Mountains National Park (Australia, about 10%) and Grampians National Park (Australia, about 10%).
Same family: Pyralidae
The closest relatives of the Small Tabby that you can see in Great Otway National Park (family Pyralidae, Pyralid Snout Moths) are Wattle Gall Moth (about 20%), Mimaglossa nauplialis (about 10%) and Spectrotrota fimbrialis (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Small Tabby is recorded against all the insects logged in Great Otway 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.
