Naturalist Will Ford, of Wangaratta in northeast Victoria, said he was in a local parkland last December when he caught a glimpse of a moth he didn’t recognize. He was able to inspect the moth and took multiple pictures as it was resting on his hand.

Ford shared photos of the insect to a citizen science website called iNaturalist Australia, where it was identified as a rare golden sun moth (Synemon plana). He noted that the moth had been “found moving along the ground” and appeared to be a male.

He said Victoria’s Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning confirmed the identification of the moth on January 21.

“It’s really uncommon to find a critically endangered species anywhere, let alone in the middle of an urban area with an old tip on one side and a sporting precinct on the other,” Ford told ABC News.

“We really wanted to confirm the identification, because you don’t necessarily want to announce you’ve found a critically endangered species when you’re not sure.”

Ford, who works for an environmental organisation, said in an interview on radio station 3aw on Monday that the species usually travels for only around 100 meters (328 foot) in total. As a result, he noted there were “only really a few populations” believed to be left in Australia.

“It’s critically endangered at a federal level so that means it’s basically one step away from extinction,” Ford told 3aw hosts Ross Stevenson and Russel Howcroft.

Ian Davidson, a biologist and member of local conservation group Wangaratta Landcare and Sustainability, told ABC it was a unique discovery.

He said Ford seeing the moth was “incredibly fortuitous” as the species flies for only a few hours each day, usually when it’s brightest between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. He added that it had been “the first sighting for sure” within the region of Wangaratta. According to Davidson, the moth’s lifespan is short, typically between one and four days.

“They’re all basically separate populations and most of them have gone extinct except for a handful in [Victoria’s] northeast and southern New South Wales,” he said.

Ford told The Guardian he had joined Wangaratta Landcare and Sustainability and would work to preserve the habitat at the location of his discovery.

“There’s been a lot of development in the vicinity we found the moth,” he said. “[There’s] local concern that this habitat area is shrinking further. We hope the council steps up and takes this discovery seriously and dedicates resources to managing that area.”