Luthrodes pandava
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~50%
Luthrodes pandava also called the Plains Cupid or cycad blue, is a species of lycaenid butterfly found in South Asia, Myanmar, United Arab Emirates, Indochina, Peninsular Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, Java, Sumatra and the Philippines. They are among the few butterflies that breed on cycads, known for their leaves being toxic to most vertebrates.
The male upperside is lavender blue. Forewing has the costa narrowly and terminal margin more broadly fuscous brown, the latter with in addition an anteciliary black line; cilia light brown transversely traversed close to but not at their bases by a dark brown line. Hindwing: costa narrowly fuscous brown; a subterminal series of black spots outwardly edged by a white line; the spot in interspace 2 the largest and inwardly crowned more or less broadly with ochraceous yellow; an anteciliary black line and the cilia as on the forewing. Underside: greyish brown. Forewings and hindwings: the following transverse darker brown markings on each wing, the markings edged on the inner and outer sides with white lines—a short bar across the discocellulars, a discal catenulated (linked like a chain) band, the posterior... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cuc Phuong National Park | 🇻🇳 Vietnam | |
| 2 | Cat Tien National Park | 🇻🇳 Vietnam | |
| 3 | Taman Negara National Park | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 4 | Sepilok | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 5 | Kaeng Krachan National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Plains Cupid sighting in Sepilok on a given day, based on 9 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 55th most-seen of the 87 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
June, October and December–January
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Plains Cupid in Sepilok on a given day, against under 5% in February–May, July, September and November, the lowest months.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Plains Cupid sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
4th of 5
Of the 5 parks where we can rate Plains Cupid sightings, Sepilok ranks 4th at about 10%. The best odds are in Cuc Phuong National Park (Vietnam, about 30%), Cat Tien National Park (Vietnam, about 20%) and Taman Negara National Park (Malaysia, about 20%).
Same family: Lycaenidae
The closest relatives of the Plains Cupid that you can see in Sepilok (family Lycaenidae, Gossamer-winged Butterflies) are Dark Posy (about 10%) and Magnificent Oakblue (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Plains Cupid is recorded against all the insects logged in Sepilok (9 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.
