Earias biplaga
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
Earias biplaga, the spiny bollworm, is a moth in the family Nolidae. The species was first described by Francis Walker in 1866. It is found throughout subtropical Africa including Atlantic and Indian Ocean islands. Their length is about 10–12 mm, wingspan about 18–25 mm and it is characterised by a dark purplish-brown terminal fringe on the forewing.
The larvae feed on species of Fabaceae and Malvaceae. It is considered as a pest to cotton and cacao. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | Addo Elephant National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 3 | Kruger National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 4 | Table Mountain National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Antananarivo | 🇲🇬 Madagascar | |
| 2 | Harare | 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe | |
| 3 | Nairobi | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 4 | Pretoria | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 5 | Durban | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Spiny Bollworm sighting in Table Mountain National Park on a given day, based on 5 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 320th most-seen of the 344 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
Any time of year
In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Spiny Bollworm in Table Mountain National Park on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.
Between 7 and 10 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Spiny Bollworm sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is mostly seen at night.
4th of 4
Of the 4 parks where we can rate Spiny Bollworm sightings, Table Mountain National Park ranks 4th at under 5%. The best odds are in Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park (South Africa, about 10%), Addo Elephant National Park (South Africa, about 10%) and Kruger National Park (South Africa, about 10%).
Same order: Lepidoptera
The closest relatives of the Spiny Bollworm that you can see in Table Mountain National Park (order Lepidoptera, Butterflies and Moths) are Garden Acraea (about 30%), Cape Autumn Widow (about 20%) and Cape Lappet (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Spiny Bollworm is recorded against all the insects logged in Table Mountain National Park (5 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.
