Cucullia lactucae
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
Cucullia lactucae, the lettuce shark, is a moth of the family Noctuidae. The species was first described by Michael Denis and Ignaz Schiffermüller in 1775. It is found in most of Europe, Turkey, the Caucasus and east across the Palearctic to the Altai Mountains (in the east records may be misidentifications of Cucullia fraterna Butler, 1878). In the Alps it rises to 1,800 metres (5,900 ft). It is found mainly in barren places, on weeds and debris and scree corridors on slopes, shrubby edges and in vineyards, gardens and parks. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tatra National Park | 🇸🇰 Slovakia | |
| 2 | Bavarian Forest National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 3 | Pyrénées National Park | 🇫🇷 France |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Helsinki | 🇫🇮 Finland |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Lettuce Shark sighting in Pyrénées National Park on a given day, based on 6 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 1026th most-seen of the 1277 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
August and September
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Lettuce Shark in Pyrénées National Park on a given day, against under 5% in October to July, the lowest months.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Lettuce Shark sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
3rd of 3
Of the 3 parks where we can rate Lettuce Shark sightings, Pyrénées National Park ranks 3rd at under 5%. The best odds are in Tatra National Park (Slovakia, about 10%) and Bavarian Forest National Park (Germany, about 10%).
Same family: Noctuidae
The closest relatives of the Lettuce Shark that you can see in Pyrénées National Park (family Noctuidae, Cutworm Moths and Allies) are Silver Υ (about 10%), Cotton Bollworm Moth (about 10%) and Marbled White-Spot (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Lettuce Shark is recorded against all the insects logged in Pyrénées National Park (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.
