Liothula omnivora
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%
Liothula omnivora, the common bag moth, is a psychid moth endemic to New Zealand. It is also known by several Māori vernacular names like the tūngou ngou, whare atua ('house of the spirit') or kopi ('shut'). There are over 50 species of Psychidae and at least two species of Liothula in New Zealand.
This species was described by Richard William Fereday in 1878. In 1928 George Hudson placed this species within the Oeceticus genus and amended its epithet to omnivorous. However this was not accepted by other taxonomists.
Like other bagworms, L. omnivora caterpillars construct and live within a small, mobile, tapering bag of silk, which provides camouflage and protection to the caterpillar. The bag is lengthened at the broad or mouth end as the caterpillar grows. The caterpillar secures itself within the bag using hooks on its anterior prolegs, allowing it to extend the head and thorax while dragging the bag behind it. When threatened, it quickly retreats into the bag and draws the mouth tightly closed. The caterpillar begins construction of its bag within a few days of hatching. Initially the bag is held erect, but as the caterpillar grows larger... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Egmont National Park | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | |
| 2 | Rakiura National Park | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | |
| 3 | Fiordland National Park | 🇳🇿 New Zealand |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Auckland | 🇳🇿 New Zealand |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a New Zealand Common Bag Moth sighting in Rakiura National Park on a given day, based on 12 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 48th most-seen of the 118 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 70%, if each day is a fresh chance.
September and October
In those months about 30% of wildlife watchers report a New Zealand Common Bag Moth in Rakiura National Park on a given day, against under 5% in April, June–August and December, the lowest months.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most New Zealand Common Bag Moth sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is seen both by day and at night.
2nd of 3
Of the 3 parks where we can rate New Zealand Common Bag Moth sightings, Rakiura National Park ranks 2nd at about 10%. The best odds are in Egmont National Park (New Zealand, about 20%).
Same order: Lepidoptera
The closest relatives of the New Zealand Common Bag Moth that you can see in Rakiura National Park (order Lepidoptera, Butterflies and Moths) are Forest Semilooper (about 40%), New Zealand Cutworm (about 30%) and Common Forest Looper (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the New Zealand Common Bag Moth is recorded against all the insects logged in Rakiura National Park (12 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.
