Setina aurita
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
Setina aurita is a moth of the family Erebidae. It was first described by Eugenius Johann Christoph Esper in 1787. Setina aurita aurita Setina aurita imbuta (Hübner, [1803]) Setina aurita pfisteri Burmann et Tarmann, 1985
Setina aurita teriolensis (Burmann, 1955) This species is only found in central Europe (Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Romania and Switzerland), in part of the Alps between 1,000 and 3,000 meters above sea level. These moths inhabit stony alpine grasslands, rocky slope and sunny meadows.
The wingspan of Setina aurita can reach 25–32 mm. These small moths have whitish-yellow to orange-yellow forewings with longitudinal dark brown stripes reaching the wings' margins, where there are black dots. In some specimens only black dots are present on the entire wings. The wing drawing is strongly dependent on the altitude. Usually the moths living at more than 2,000 meters show stripes, while at lower elevation they are more dotted. Caterpillars can reach a length of about 22 millimetres (0.87 in). They are exceptionally long haired, yellow, with five longitudinal grayish-black stripes and grayish-black warts... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vanoise National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 2 | Ecrins National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 3 | Mercantour National Park | 🇫🇷 France |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Setina aurita sighting in Mercantour National Park on a given day, based on 19 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 411th most-seen of the 412 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.
July and August
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Setina aurita in Mercantour National Park on a given day, against under 5% in September to June, the lowest months. Those are among Mercantour National Park's driest months, with about 55 mm of rain a month against 140 mm in October.
Between noon and 3 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Setina aurita sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 3 parks where we can rate Setina aurita sightings, Mercantour National Park ranks 3rd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Vanoise National Park (France, about 10%) and Ecrins National Park (France, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Setina aurita is recorded against all the insects logged in Mercantour National Park (19 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.
