Carcina quercana
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
Carcina quercana is a species of moth of the family Depressariidae. It is found in Europe. It has been introduced recently in North America, British Columbia and western Washington. It is occasionally known by several common names including oak lantern, long-horned flat-body, and oak-skeletonizer moth (the last most common in North America).
The wingspan is 16–20 mm. The forewings are light ochreous, more or less purple-tinged, sprinkled with dark fuscous; costal edge purple; a yellow blotch along costa near base, and another beyond middle; a fuscous transverse line at 1/4, followed by a yellowish suffusion towards dorsum; stigmata dark grey, plical usually faint; a terminal purple line; cilia bright yellow except on tornus. Hindwings are yellow-whitish, apex rosy-tinged. The larva is pale green; dorsal line darker, paler -edged; head yellowish-green,
The larvae feed on various deciduous trees, including oak and beech. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bavarian Forest National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 2 | Wadden Sea National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 3 | Snowdonia National Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 4 | Cévennes National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 5 | Pyrénées National Park | 🇫🇷 France |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Liverpool | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 2 | London | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 3 | Porto | 🇵🇹 Portugal | |
| 4 | Manchester | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 5 | Birmingham | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 6 | Copenhagen | 🇩🇰 Denmark | |
| 7 | Hamburg | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 8 | Prague | 🇨🇿 Czechia | |
| 9 | Paris | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 10 | Berlin | 🇩🇪 Germany |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report an Oak Lantern sighting in Wadden Sea National Park on a given day, based on 39 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 171st most-seen of the 818 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.
July
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report an Oak Lantern in Wadden Sea National Park on a given day, against under 5% in September to June, the lowest months.
Between 10 pm and 1 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Oak Lantern sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is seen both by day and at night.
Among the best
Of the 5 parks where we can rate Oak Lantern sightings, Wadden Sea 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 order: Lepidoptera
The closest relatives of the Oak Lantern that you can see in Wadden Sea National Park (order Lepidoptera, Butterflies and Moths) are Red Admiral (about 30%), Large Yellow Underwing (about 20%) and Small Copper (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Oak Lantern is recorded against all the insects logged in Wadden Sea National Park (39 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.
