Empyreuma pugione
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~50%
Empyreuma pugione, the spotted oleander caterpillar moth, is a moth of the subfamily Arctiinae. It is found in the West Indies, where it has been collected at elevations up to 733m, and has been introduced to the US state of Florida.
The wingspan is 43–48 mm. They fly during the day. The larvae feed on Nerium oleander, but are likely to have fed on a Caribbean species from a New World Apocynaceae genus such as Thevetia, Plumeria, Mandevilla, or Tabernaemontana prior to the introduction of oleander. They are light orange and hairy. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Everglades National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Santo Domingo | 🇩🇴 Dominican Republic | |
| 2 | Orlando | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Miami | 🇺🇸 United States |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Spotted Oleander Moth sighting in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge on a given day, based on 17 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 73rd most-seen of the 189 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.
March–April, June–August and December–January
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Spotted Oleander Moth in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge on a given day, against under 5% in February, May and September–November, the lowest months.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Spotted Oleander Moth sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 2 parks where we can rate Spotted Oleander Moth sightings, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge has the highest daily chance: about 10%. Next come Everglades National Park (United States, under 5%).
Same family: Erebidae
The closest relatives of the Spotted Oleander Moth that you can see in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge (family Erebidae, Underwing, Tiger, Tussock, and Allied Moths) are Ornate Bella Moth (about 20%), Fir Tussock Moth (about 10%) and Salt Marsh Moth (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Spotted Oleander Moth is recorded against all the insects logged in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge (17 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.
