Hylesia metabus
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%
The yellowtail moth or ashen moth (Hylesia metabus) is a species of moth found in northeastern South America. Contact with the urticating hairs of adult female moths is known to cause a cutaneous condition called the Caripito itch.
The species was first described by Pieter Cramer in 1775. These moths are mainly found along the mangrove swamps of Venezuela and Guyana. The adult moths however swarm to lights in nearby towns and the urticating hairs are released into the air leading to severe urticarial and papulovesicular dermatitis. Hairs from male moths do not cause any symptoms.
These special hairs are used by the females to protect their egg masses from predators such as ants. Media related to Hylesia metabus at Wikimedia Commons Moth information on Hylesia metabus—(in French) Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Main Ridge Forest Reserve | 🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago |
More parks will be added in future updates.
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Hylesia metabus sighting in Main Ridge Forest Reserve on a given day, based on 6 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 254th most-seen of the 346 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.
August and September
In those months about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Hylesia metabus in Main Ridge Forest Reserve on a given day, against under 5% in January–May and October–November, the lowest months.
Between 9 pm and midnight
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Hylesia metabus sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is mostly seen at night.
Only Main Ridge Forest Reserve, in our data
Main Ridge Forest Reserve is the only park on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Hylesia metabus sightings: about 10% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
Same family: Saturniidae
The closest relatives of the Hylesia metabus that you can see in Main Ridge Forest Reserve (family Saturniidae, Emperor and Giant Silk Moths) are Gamelia bennetti (about 20%) and Syssphinx molina (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Hylesia metabus is recorded against all the insects logged in Main Ridge Forest Reserve (6 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.
