Gynanisa maja
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~50%
Gynanisa maja, the speckled emperor (Bemba: chipumi; Kibembe: kawanatengo) is a moth of the family Saturniidae. The species was first described by Johann Christoph Friedrich Klug in 1836. It is known from South Africa to eastern Africa (up to Angola and Zambia). Gynanisa nigra is just a darker form and not a distinct species.
The wingspan is 105–113 mm. Adults are on wing from late December to early February. Larvae have been recorded on Acacia erioloba, Acacia karroo, Acacia mollissima, Berlinia paniculata, Brachystegia venosa, Cassia, Colophospermum mopane, Elephantorrhiza burchelli, Julbernardia, Laburnum, Peltophorum, Prunus persica, Pterocarpus, Quercus gambelii, Quercus robur, Quercus turneri, Robinia pseudoacacia and Schotia. Early instar larvae are gregarious.
The larvae serve as an important human food source. See Entomophagy. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kruger National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
More parks will be added in future updates.
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Speckled Emperor sighting in Kruger National Park on a given day, based on 50 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 69th most-seen of the 748 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
November
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Speckled Emperor in Kruger National Park on a given day, against under 5% in April to September, the lowest months.
Between 7 and 10 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Speckled Emperor sightings with a recorded time, and about half of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is seen both by day and at night.
Only Kruger National Park, in our data
Kruger National Park is the only park on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Speckled Emperor sightings: about 10% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
Same family: Saturniidae
The closest relatives of the Speckled Emperor that you can see in Kruger National Park (family Saturniidae, Emperor and Giant Silk Moths) are Mopane Worm (about 10%), Eastern Marbled Emperor (about 10%) and Cavorting Emperor (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Speckled Emperor is recorded against all the insects logged in Kruger National Park (50 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.
