About

Wednesday 26 June 2019

Ptochostola microphaeellus

Ptochostola microphaeellus CRAMBINAE CRAMBIDAE 

These are mainly grass moths and bore into the stems of the plants.
Larval food plants include Musci (mosses), Avena sativa (Gramineae) Oats, Phragmites australis (Gramineae) Common reeds, Triticum (Gramineae) Wheat.
Wingspan around 12mm.



Family:- CRAMBIDAE
Sub Family:- CRAMBINAE
Genus:- Ptochostola
Species:- microphaeellus




*************************************************************************************

Thallarcha staurocola LITHOSIINI EREBIDAE 

I don't have any information on larval food plants.
Wingspan around 19mm.





Family:- EREBIDAE
Sub Family:- LITHOSIINI
Genus:- Thallarcha
Species:- staurocola












***********************************************************************************

Wednesday 19 June 2019

Hypoperigea tonsa

Hypoperigea tonsa AMPHIPYRINAE NOCTUIDAE

There doesn't seem to be much information on the biology of this moth. The only mention was a wingspan of 25mm, I think this sample was a little bigger than that, probably closer to 30mm.




 Family:- NOCTUIDAE
Sub Family:- AMPHIPYRINAE
Genus:- Hypoperigea
Species:- tonsa
The second photo, although not a particularly good photo, does show some of the rear wing colouring.

***********************************************************************************

Lichenaula undulatella XYLORYCTINAE XYLORYCTIDAE 

The larval food plants include a number of Acacia (Mimosaceae) particularly A.decurrens, and Jacksonia scoparia (Fabaceae), common name Dogwood.
It is likely that the Jacksonia is the food plant here. We have a number of them. The Wattles are probably too far away to be attracted to the house lights.
 




Family:- XYLORYCTIDAE
Sub Family:- XYLORYCTINAE
Genus:- Lichenaula
Species:- undulatella









***********************************************************************************

Wednesday 12 June 2019

The last of XYLORYCTIDAE

At least for the time being.

I think this moth is probably:-

Chalarotona intabescens XYLORYCTINAE XYLORYCTIDAE.

If the identification is correct then the larval food plants are Banksia species.
The larvae tunnel in to the flower spikes of Banksia especially B. serrata and B. ericifolia.

 

 Family:- XYLORYCTIDAE
Sub Family:- XYLORYCTINAE
Genus:- Chalarotona
Species:- intabescens

































***********************************************************************************

Yponomeuta paurodes YPONOMEUTINAE YPONOMEUTIDAE 

So far this is the only member of YPONOMEUTIDAE that I have found here.
The larval food plants are in the CELASTRACEAE family mainly Cassine australis, an attractive tree in the area and on our property. We also have other members of CELASTRACEAE here.







Family:- YPONOMEUTIDAE
Sub Family:- YPONOMEUTINAE
Genus:- Yponomeuta
Species:- paurodes













***********************************************************************************
This brings to an end the moths that I have organised into their families, although I will have to go over the lists again at a later date, to pick up the ones I skipped over, because I was not able to identify them well enough.
I still have a lot of, as yet unidentified and unsorted moth photos.
I will gradually work through them and ID them and put them on the Blog, but it may slow down the postings a bit.
For what it is worth, I have now put over 470 moth species on this Blog, and all of them from our one Hectare (about 2.4 acres) block.
Considering that I don't use the powerful Actinic lights, only a tiny UV light, and mostly not even that, I am amazed at the variety and number of moths that we have here.
 ***********************************************************************************

Wednesday 5 June 2019

Cryptophasa, possibly irrorata Sp.

 Cryptophasa Poss irrorata XYLORYCTINAE XYLORYCTIDAE

 It is not easy to be sure of identification of this moth because they tend to vary quite a bit.
If I have the identification correct the larval food plant would be She Oak ( Casuarina, CASUARINACAE ).
Note the unusually large scales and scattered pattern of this moth.
This is a large moth and the wingspan judging from the flyscreen grid, would be about 45mm.




Family:- XYLORYCTIDAE
Sub Family:- XYLORYCTINAE
Genus:- Cryptophasa
Species:- irrorata (Possibly)

***********************************************************************************

Pilostibes stigmatias XYLORYCTINAE XYLORYCTIDAE 

Mainly a rainforest moth from southern Queensland to Newcastle in NSW.
The larval food is likely to be Elaeocarpus obovatus (ELAEOCARPACEAE), common name, Hard Quandong.
It is native to this area and we have some on our property. The larvae bore into the stems on the plant but eat the leaves.
Wingspan about 30mm.


Family:- XYLORYCTIDAE
Sub Family:- XYLORYCTINAE
Genus:- Pilostibes
Species:- stigmatias





***********************************************************************************