Idaea inversata
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%
Idaea inversata, the purple wave, is a moth of the family Geometridae. The species was first described by Achille Guenée in 1857. It is found along the east coast of Australia. Idaea inversata is externally very similar to I. costaria but lacks the two-coloured head pattern of that species. I. costaria has a creamy-white patch between the antennae, whereas I. inversata is dark reddish throughout this area. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lamington National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Blue Mountains National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 3 | Great Otway National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Purple Wave sighting in Lamington National Park on a given day, based on 15 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 113th most-seen of the 430 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.
March
In that month about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Purple Wave in Lamington National Park on a given day, against under 5% in May to January, the lowest months. That is one of Lamington National Park's wettest months, with about 150 mm of rain against 40 mm in August.
Between 7 and 10 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Purple Wave sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is most active around dawn and dusk.
Yes
Of the 3 parks where we can rate Purple Wave sightings, Lamington National Park has the highest daily chance: about 10%. Next come Blue Mountains National Park (Australia, about 10%) and Great Otway National Park (Australia, about 10%).
Same genus: Idaea
The closest relatives of the Purple Wave that you can see in Lamington National Park (genus Idaea) are Idaea coercita (about 10%), Idaea eretmopus (about 10%) and Idaea punctatissima (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Purple Wave is recorded against all the insects logged in Lamington National Park (15 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.
