Herminiidae

This family of moths have not been well studied. They are very similar to moths from the sub family of  Hypeninae in Noctuidae, so if trying to identify moths that look similar check both families.
The larvae that have been studied live on the dead and decaying leaves on forest floor.
Note the large labial palpi particularly on the first photos.

Family:-  HERMINIIDAE
Genus:- Simplicia
Species:- armatalis

Family:- HERMINIIDAE
Genus:- Simplicia
Species:- caeneusalis

Family:- HERMINIIDAE
Genus:- Lithilaria
Species:- ossicolor

Family:- HERMINIIDAE
Genus:- Nodaria
Species:- aneliopis (possibly)










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Aquatic moths

Margarosticha euprepialis ACENTROPINAE  CRAMBIDAE

 

Family:-  CRAMBIDAE
Sub Family:- ACENTROPINAE
Genus:- Margarosticha
Species:- euprepialis (probably)

Moths of the sub family ACENTROPINAE, which used to be called NYMPHULINAE, (and still is, by some sites and some books), are aquatic moths. There are believed to be some 50 species of aquatic moths in Australia.

The larvae live in the water obtaining oxygen through diffusion through the skin on the very small larvae, some capture oxygen from the surface and trap it in the hairs on their bodies, and most in Australia have sort of gills along the sides of their bodies.

The arrival of this moth is an interesting case. Our garden pond was leaking badly and needed to be repaired. In the process all the pond weed that we had died, and we replaced the plants with some bought from a pet supply shop and some from a local nursery. A couple of weeks after the pond was back in action we had this moth appear.
I am not sure if the moth is a local or brought in on the pond weed which probably came from the wholesale suppliers near the coast.

A Confusion of names
 Margarosticha euprepialis ACENTROPINAE  CRAMBIDAE
 Sub family of ACENTROPINAE was previously known as NYMPHULINAE and is still used on some sites and in older books. The name Nymphicula australis is also used for Margarosticha australis calling M. australis a synonym along with Cataclysta australis. 

Parapoynx diminutalis ACENTROPINAE CRAMBIDAE 

We have previously had another aquatic moth, Parapoynx diminutalis ACENTROPINAE CRAMBIDAE here, most likely breeding in our pond.

 Family:- CRAMBIDAE
Sub Family:- ACENTROPINAE
Genus:- Parapoynx
Species:- diminutalis

Hygraula nitens ACENTROPINAE CRAMBIDAE

This another aquatic moth we have had here. The hairs on the caterpillars are actually gills.
More information from:-
http://lepidoptera.butterflyhouse.com.au/acen/nitens.html
(you can copy and paste this into your browser)

Family:- CRAMBIDAE
Sub Family:- ACENTROPINAE
Genus:- Hygraula
Species:- nitens
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More Hepialidae

This is the last of the Hepialidae moths for the time being. Despite the difficulties with identification  they are a spectacular moth and a frequent visitor here.
I think all these moths belong to the genus Oxycanus.

EDIT August 2018:-  After receiving  considerable help from Ethan from the SA Museum, I now believe that all these moths are indeed Oxycanus  beltista.

HEPIALIDAE 0009 on  -3963
Family:- HEPIALIDAE
Genus:- Oxycanus 
Species:-  beltista
I believe that all those below are the same.

HEPIALIDAE 0011 - 3965

HEPIALIDAE 0059 - 4057

HEPIALIDAE 9953 on - 4016

HEPIALIDAE 9996  - 4052

HEPIALIDAE 9996 on - 4051







The reason for the unnamed photos is refer to the post February 15th 2017.

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Hepialidae continued

Here are another 6 moths from the family. Once again, positive identification is not possible and so they must remain a visual list of the moths from this location. For details see the "About" tab.

EDIT August 2018:- This post was edited to correct errors in the names. Please read the note about the edit on February 15th 2017.

HEPIALIDAE  9897 on -3985

Family:- HEPIALIDAE
Genus:- Oxycanus  beltista
Species:-  beltista

HEPIALIDAE 2949 -5427
Family:- HEPIALIDAE
Genus:- Oxycanus 
Species:-  beltista

HEPIALIDAE 2995 -5457
Family:- HEPIALIDAE
Genus:- Oxycanus 
Species:-  beltista

HEPIALIDAE 3160 - 5561
Family:- HEPIALIDAE
Genus:- Oxycanus 
Species:- barnardi

 HEPIALIDAE   3018 on - 5475

Family:- HEPIALIDAE
Genus:-   Oxycanus
Species:-  waterhousei

 HEPIALIDAE   7157 on -  2635

Family:- HEPIALIDAE
Genus:-    Oxycanus
Species:-  beltista




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Hepialidae

EDIT August 2018:- Please read the note at the end of this introduction.
This is one of the most difficult families to identify from photographs. The males often differ from the females, the males differ from each other and so do the females. There are regional differences as well. In fact the wing markings cannot really be relied on at all!

Some of the moths will be the same species with different markings because they were photographed over several years, and the changing ecology of the area may account for changing markings. The photographs were taken between 2010 and 2014, the last of the photos in May 2014 and, although it may be coincidental, this coincides with the removal of  a Eucalyptus tree, a Pink Bloodwood (Corymbia intermedia), which grew next to the house.

I believe that many of the photographs of the moths that I will put on the blog over the next few weeks are members of the Oxycanus genus, in fact I think most of them will be.
In keeping with the aims of this Blog, I will put all the Hepialidae moths that I have photographed on the Blog with numbers, and if anyone believes they can identify any of them with some certainty I would very much like to hear from you.

Edited August 2018:-  I have received considerable help from Ethan, a volunteer at the SA Museum with expertise in Hepialidae moths. Although there is always a chance that there are errors in the identification, I believe it is likely that they are all reasonably correct, but care should be taken. Where precise identification is required the only way is via dissection and DNA.

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 HEPIALIDAE 2927 - 5414
Family:- HEPIALIDAE
Genus:- Oxycanus
Species:-  beltista

 HEPIALIDAE 3034 - 5485
Family:- HEPIALIDAE
Genus:- Oxycanus
Species:-  beltista

 HEPIALIDAE 3072 on - 5495
Family:- HEPIALIDAE
Genus:- Oxycanus
Species:- beltista

 HEPIALIDAE 9984 on - 4039
Family:- HEPIALIDAE
Genus:- Oxycanus
Species:-  beltista

HEPIALIDAE 9984 on - 4043 underside of 4039
Family:- HEPIALIDAE
Genus:- Oxycanus
Species:-  beltista

  HEPIALIDAE 9984 on - 4041
 Family:- HEPIALIDAE
Genus:- Oxycanus
Species:-  beltista

 HEPIALIDAE  3072 on - 5494
Family:- HEPIALIDAE
Genus:- Oxycanus
Species:- beltista

HEPIALIDAE  7122 on - 2613
Family:- HEPIALIDAE
Genus:- Oxycanus
Species:- beltista


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 HEPIALIDAE  3297 - 0848
Family:- HEPIALIDAE
Genus:-  Oxycanus
Species:- beltista (most likely)

 HEPIALIDAE  3297 - 0849 same moth as 0848
Family:- HEPIALIDAE
Genus:-  Oxycanus
Species:-  beltista (most likely)






For anyone interested in looking up Hepialidae moths here a few web sites that are helpful.

http://bie.ala.org.au/species/urn:lsid:biodiversity.org.au:afd.taxon:27b930f3-9c63-442a-b1f3-984c802b6362#gallery

http://www.boldsystems.org/index.php/Taxbrowser_Taxonpage?taxon=Hepialidae&searchTax=

http://lepidoptera.butterflyhouse.com.au/hepi/hepialidae.html

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Urolitha bipunctifera GEOMETRIDAE

Urolitha bipunctifera GEOMETRINAE GEOMETRIDAE

 

Family:- GEOMETRIDAE
Sub Family:- GEOMETRINAE
Genus:- Urolitha
Species:- bipunctifera

That is the last of the Geometrid moths for the time being.
There are still a lot more that I have yet to identify, or have been unable to identify.







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Heliocosma argyroleuca HELIOCOSMA Group

 

Family:- HELIOCOSMA Group
Sub Family:-
Genus:- Heliocosma
Species:- argyroleuca (probably)

 

Heliocosma argyroleuca is a member of the Tortricoidea superfamily. The wingspan is about 15 mm.

 Identification

 The internet sites I checked when trying to identify this moth shows there is a lot of confusion, particularly if going by wing pattern, colouring and other visual identifiers. Two of the normally reliable sites I use for identification have photos of what look like the same moth named as both Heliocosma argyroleuca and Heliocosma incongruana. This doesn't necessarily mean they are wrong, but there is a need to be careful.

The site boldsystems.org has a number of photos of each species separated into what appears to be the correct species groups, and so, for the time being, I will go with the best match from that site, which is Heliocosma argyroleuca. This also matches up with a couple of other sources, one of which I know the gentleman who photographed the moth is an entomologist.

This does bring up the subject of using the internet for identification. A number of sites are simply copying (or being given copies) of the information that appears on other sites. Contributors may also incorrectly identify a moth from another incorrect identification. The original identification may be incorrect and this is copied to the next site and so on.
The original photographer/ identifier may go back and correct the original source but the correction does not always flow on.

I try to get consensus from a number of sites and books and still end up with errors. I have seen photos that I have corrected after publication on this blog, turn up in other places uncorrected.

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Thalaina selenaea  GEOMETRIDAE

Thalaina selenaea NACOPHORINI ENNOMINAE GEOMETRIDAE

These are a quite spectacular with flashes of red when they fly. They can also have a solid red stripe across the forewing.
The larval food is probably Acacia.

 Family:- GEOMETRIDAE
Sub Family:- ENNOMINAE
Genus:- Thalaina
Species:- selenaea

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Syneora hemeropa BOARMIINI ENNOMINAE GEOMETRIDAE 

 

 Family:- GEOMETRIDAE
Sub Family:- ENNOMINAE
Genus:- Syneora
Species:- hemeropa





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Sterictopsis Poss argyraspis GEOMETRINAE GEOMETRIDAE

 

 Family:- GEOMETRIDAE
Sub Family:- ENNOMINAE
Genus:- Sterictopsis
Species:- argyraspis  (Possibly)

I am not certain of this species identification.
I believe the identification is correct down to genus.






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