Diphthera festiva
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
Diphthera festiva, the hieroglyphic moth, is a species of moth in the family Nolidae and is the only moth in its subfamily Diphtherinae. It is found in the tropical and subtropical areas of South America (as far south as Bolivia and Brazil), Central America, North America, and the Caribbean. In North America, the species has a southeastern distribution from South Carolina west to Texas along the Gulf Coast. Strays have been recorded as far north as Michigan and Missouri. The wingspan is 37–48 mm (1.5–1.9 in). This species is occasionally considered a pest on soybeans. It was described by Johan Christian Fabricius in 1775.
The hieroglyphic moth has light yellow-orange forewings with distinctive blue-black metallic lines and three rows of metallic dots parallel to the exterior margin. The hindwing is black with white fringe and the pronotum is yellow orange with three black stripes. The abdomen, legs, and filiform (threadlike) antennae are black. Males and females are alike, except for one noticeable sexual dimorphism: females have four tibial spurs on their hind legs, while males have only two.
The pupae are dark brown to black and around 1.7 cm long. They can be... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jaragua National Park | 🇩🇴 Dominican Republic | |
| 2 | Ostional Wildlife Refuge | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 3 | Parque Estadual Encontro das Águas | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 4 | Rincón de la Vieja National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 5 | Big Cypress National Preserve | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Cumbres de Monterrey National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 7 | Everglades National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Valencia | 🇻🇪 Venezuela | |
| 2 | Monterrey | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 3 | Guadalajara | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 4 | Houston | 🇺🇸 United States |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Hieroglyphic Moth sighting in Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve on a given day, based on 8 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 323rd most-seen of the 506 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
June–August, October and December
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Hieroglyphic Moth in Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve on a given day, against under 5% in January–May, September and November, the lowest months.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Hieroglyphic 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.
8th of 8
Of the 8 parks where we can rate Hieroglyphic Moth sightings, Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve ranks 8th at under 5%. The best odds are in Jaragua National Park (Dominican Republic, about 40%), Ostional Wildlife Refuge (Costa Rica, about 20%) and Parque Estadual Encontro das Águas (Brazil, about 20%).
Same family: Erebidae
The closest relatives of the Hieroglyphic Moth that you can see in Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve (family Erebidae, Underwing, Tiger, Tussock, and Allied Moths) are Symphlebia perflua (about 10%), Black Witch (about 10%) and Amastus aconia (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Hieroglyphic Moth is recorded against all the insects logged in Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve (8 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.
