Amata passalis
In 3 days ~70% in a week >90%
Amata passalis, the sandalwood defoliator, is a moth of the family Erebidae first described by Johan Christian Fabricius in 1781. It is found in Sri Lanka and India. The average life cycle of the species in captivity is 62 days. After mating, the adult female lays about 305 eggs in a lifespan of 3.87 days. It is known to breed all year around and passes through 6-11 generations a year. There are eight larval instars. First and last instar larvae are about 1.97 mm and 29.29 mm in length, respectively. Adults usually emerge within 1 to 2 hours of sunrise. After a day, they are ready for mating.
It is known mainly as a defoliator of sandalwood (Santalum album) in India. It is also recorded on various alternate food plants, mainly cowpeas, various other pulses, and ornamental plants. The larval stage of Apanteles nepitae can be used as a parasite to control the moth.
Phaseolus vulgaris Santalum album Trichosanthes anguina Vigna unguiculata Capsicum annuum Brassica caulorapa Capsicum annuum Phaseolus vulgaris Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sundarbans National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 2 | Minneriya National Park | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Thiruvananthapuram | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 2 | Coimbatore | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 3 | Prayagraj | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 4 | Kollam | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 5 | Surat | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 6 | Chennai | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 7 | Colombo [Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte] | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | |
| 8 | Ponnani | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 9 | Bhubaneshwar | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 10 | Madurai | 🇮🇳 India |
Likely
About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Sandalwood Defoliator sighting in Sundarbans National Park on a given day, based on 8 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 5th most-seen of the 15 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 70%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April
In that month about 70% of wildlife watchers report a Sandalwood Defoliator in Sundarbans National Park on a given day, against about 10% in January–March, July–August and November, the lowest months. That is one of Sundarbans National Park's driest months, with about 55 mm of rain against 480 mm in July. June has too few records to rate.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Sandalwood Defoliator sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 2 parks where we can rate Sandalwood Defoliator sightings, Sundarbans National Park has the highest daily chance: about 40%. Next come Minneriya National Park (Sri Lanka, about 20%).
Same order: Lepidoptera
The closest relatives of the Sandalwood Defoliator that you can see in Sundarbans National Park (order Lepidoptera, Butterflies and Moths) are Leopard Lacewing Butterfly (about 50%), Blue Tiger (about 40%) and Indian Palm Bob (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Sandalwood Defoliator is recorded against all the insects logged in Sundarbans National Park (8 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.
