Hypomecis punctinalis
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
Hypomecis punctinalis, the pale oak beauty, is a moth of the family Geometridae. The species was first described by Giovanni Antonio Scopoli in his 1763 Entomologia Carniolica. The species can be found in central and southern Europe, Asia Minor, Transcaucasia, Russia, the Russian Far East, Japan, Korea, Ussuri and western China.
The wingspan is 46–55 mm. The length of the forewings is 22–26 mm. The forewings have a grey-white ground colour with a brownish tinge and are fine blackish dusted. The outer margin of the forewing has a convexity. The forewings have conspicuous transverse lines and a clear discal mark. The discal mark is pale centred and dark ringed. The forewings of the male have a fovea. The hindwings are similarly marked. The hindwing median and second lines are conspicuously dark and wavy.
The moths fly in one generation from the end of April to July.[1] The larvae feed on various trees including oak and birch. Similar species: Hypomecis roboraria (H.roboraria has a pale spot on a dark background at the apex forewing underside which is not present in H. punctinalis
Hypomecis species Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cévennes National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 2 | Bavarian Forest National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 3 | Pyrénées National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 4 | Fertő-Hanság National Park | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 5 | Wadden Sea National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Pale Oak Beauty sighting in Wadden Sea National Park on a given day, based on 30 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 225th 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 a Pale Oak Beauty in Wadden Sea National Park on a given day, against under 5% in August to May, the lowest months.
Between 10 pm and 1 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Pale Oak Beauty 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 Pale Oak Beauty sightings, Wadden Sea National Park ranks 5th at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Cévennes National Park (France, about 10%), Bavarian Forest National Park (Germany, about 10%) and Pyrénées National Park (France, about 10%).
Same family: Geometridae
The closest relatives of the Pale Oak Beauty that you can see in Wadden Sea National Park (family Geometridae, Geometer Moths) are Riband Wave (about 10%), Yellow Shell Moth (about 10%) and Small Engrailed (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Pale Oak Beauty is recorded against all the insects logged in Wadden Sea National Park (30 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.
