Arctia testudinaria
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
Arctia testudinaria, or Patton's tiger, is a moth of the family Erebidae. It was described by Geoffroy in 1785. It is found from northern Spain to southern and central France and southern Switzerland to north-eastern and southern Italy. It has also been recorded from Great Britain. The habitat consists of grasslands, slopes, forest edges, clear dry forests, cliffs and mountain slopes, maquis, garrigues and dry meadows.
The wingspan is 35–45 mm. Adults are on wing in May and July. The larvae feed on various low-growing plants, including Plantago, Rumex, Achillea, Euphorbia cyparissias, Potentilla, Hieracium, Taraxacum, Cynoglossum, Deschampsia, Calamagrostis. The species overwinters in the larval stage. Pupation often takes place under flat stones.
This species, along with the others of the genus Hyphoraia, was moved to Arctia as a result of phylogenetic research published by Rönkä et al. in 2016. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cévennes National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 2 | Pyrénées National Park | 🇫🇷 France |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Patton's Tiger sighting in Pyrénées National Park on a given day, based on 10 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 738th 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 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April to June
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Patton's Tiger in Pyrénées National Park on a given day, against under 5% in July to March, the lowest months.
Between 7 and 10 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Patton's Tiger 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 2 parks where we can rate Patton's Tiger sightings, Pyrénées National Park ranks 2nd at under 5%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Cévennes National Park (France, under 5%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Patton's Tiger is recorded against all the insects logged in Pyrénées National Park (10 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.
