Sphingomorpha chlorea
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~50%
Sphingomorpha chlorea, the sundowner moth, is a species of moth in the family Erebidae that is native to Africa and southern Asia. The species was first described by Pieter Cramer in 1777. It is a fruit-piercing moth and a notorious pest in orchards. The fruit is pierced while performing a vertical and rhythmic movement of the head. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Waterberg Plateau Park | 🇳🇦 Namibia | |
| 2 | Gorongosa National Park | 🇲🇿 Mozambique | |
| 3 | Etosha National Park | 🇳🇦 Namibia | |
| 4 | Hwange National Park | 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe | |
| 5 | Moremi Game Reserve | 🇧🇼 Botswana | |
| 6 | Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 7 | Kruger National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 8 | Tarangire National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 9 | Namib-Naukluft National Park | 🇳🇦 Namibia | |
| 10 | iSimangaliso Wetland Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 11 | Serengeti National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 12 | Nairobi National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 13 | Masai Mara National Reserve | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 14 | Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 15 | Pilanesberg National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 16 | Chobe National Park | 🇧🇼 Botswana | |
| 17 | Addo Elephant National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Sundowner Moth sighting in Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park on a given day, based on 8 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 22nd most-seen of the 31 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.
February and April
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Sundowner Moth in Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park on a given day, against under 5% in March and June–November, the lowest months. Those are among Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park's wettest months, with about 25 mm of rain a month against almost none in July.
Between 7 and 10 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Sundowner Moth sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is mostly seen at night.
14th of 17
Of the 17 parks where we can rate Sundowner Moth sightings, Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park ranks 14th at about 10%. The best odds are in Waterberg Plateau Park (Namibia, about 30%), Gorongosa National Park (Mozambique, about 30%) and Etosha National Park (Namibia, about 20%).
Same family: Erebidae
The closest relatives of the Sundowner Moth that you can see in Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park (family Erebidae, Underwing, Tiger, Tussock, and Allied Moths) are Vermiculous (about 20%), Crimson-Speckled Flunkey (about 10%) and Creamstriped Owl (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Sundowner Moth is recorded against all the insects logged in Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park (8 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.
