Scopula nigropunctata
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~30%
Scopula nigropunctata, the sub-angled wave, is a moth of the family Geometridae. It is found through most of the Palearctic realm. The species has a wingspan of 29–34 mm. It is closely related to Scopula umbelaria but smaller, less whitish, the ground-colour being appreciably more testaceous and on an average more strongly dusted. The forewing looks slightly shorter and broader, its distal margin being more strongly curved or bent in the middle so that its anterior part becomes less oblique; the black discal spot nearly always distinct, often large; the median shade, which in the typical form is strong and dark, and the postmedian line are both angled near the costa of the forewing, and the former runs rather more obliquely than in umbelaria; the hindwing has the angle in the middle rather stronger on the average, though very variable; both wings have usually a dark terminal line, interrupted at the
vein-ends and often thickened between; the black dots in the fringe are very slight or are wanting. Both sexes are sharply marked beneath and differ very little; the basal half, or more, of the forewing is more or less suffused with fuscous, especially on the veins, the inner line wanting; the hindwing has a zigzag outer line. In China and Japan, however, with Korea and probably S. E. Siberia, occur a succession of more puzzling forms, extremely variable in size and shape, in ground-colour and in distinctness of marking. The egg has the normal longitudinal and finer transverse ribbing. The larva is very slender, tapering slightly anteriorly the head rounded, skin transversely ribbed, the spiracles very small, brown; the general colour is greenish grey with a narrow, distinct dull green dorsal line; on the extreme anterior edge of each of the middle segments there is a square black spot, divided down its centre by the dorsal line. The pupa has six minute hooks on the cremaster in addition to the strong pair of central spines.
The moth flies from May to August depending on the location. The larvae feed on a variety of shrubs and deciduous trees. In captivity they feed on Taraxacum and Clematis species. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bavarian Forest National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 2 | Pyrénées National Park | 🇫🇷 France |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Sub-Angled Wave sighting in Pyrénées National Park on a given day, based on 20 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 458th most-seen of the 1277 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
June to August
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Sub-Angled Wave in Pyrénées National Park on a given day, against under 5% in September to May, the lowest months.
Between 9 pm and midnight
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Sub-Angled Wave sightings with a recorded time, and about half of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is seen both by day and at night.
Among the best
Of the 2 parks where we can rate Sub-Angled Wave sightings, Pyrénées National Park ranks 2nd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Bavarian Forest National Park (Germany, about 10%).
Same genus: Scopula
The closest relatives of the Sub-Angled Wave that you can see in Pyrénées National Park (genus Scopula) are Lace Border (about 10%), Lewes Wave (about 10%) and Mullein Wave (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Sub-Angled Wave is recorded against all the insects logged in Pyrénées National Park (20 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.
