Actias maenas
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%
The Malaysian moon moth (Actias maenas) is a Saturniid in the subfamily Saturniinae from Indomalaya. The male is purplish-brown and yellow, while the larger female is overall light green. Actias rosenbergii (Kaup 1895) from Ambon is of doubtful status.
The Malaysian moon moth ranges from Malaysia, to Sumatra, Java, the Philippines, and the surrounding region in Southeast Asia. A population in the Western Ghats was described as a new species Actias keralensis in 2020. This species covers a diverse set of biomes, from tropical rainforests to evergreen forests.
The first instar larva is orange, with a black band surrounding the middle segments, and with a black head capsule. At the first moult, the second instar larva is green with yellow/orange tubercles, a brown head... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Danum Valley Conservation Area | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 2 | Kinabalu Park | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 3 | Khao Yai National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 4 | Khao Sok National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Guwahati | 🇮🇳 India |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Malaysian Moon Moth sighting in Kinabalu Park on a given day, based on 9 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 123rd most-seen of the 297 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.
January, April and June–July
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Malaysian Moon Moth in Kinabalu Park on a given day, against under 5% in February–March and August–December, the lowest months.
Between 6 and 9 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Malaysian Moon Moth sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
2nd of 4
Of the 4 parks where we can rate Malaysian Moon Moth sightings, Kinabalu Park ranks 2nd at about 10%. The best odds are in Danum Valley Conservation Area (Malaysia, about 20%).
Same family: Saturniidae
The closest relatives of the Malaysian Moon Moth that you can see in Kinabalu Park (family Saturniidae, Emperor and Giant Silk Moths) are Atlas Moth (about 30%) and Cricula Silkmoth (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Malaysian Moon Moth is recorded against all the insects logged in Kinabalu 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.
