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Wednesday, 27 May 2020

Achaea janata

Achaea janata EREBINAE EREBIDAE

I previously put this one on the Blog on Wednesday, 21 June 2017.
I have added these photos because the wing markings are unusually strong and somewhat different to the normal run of A.janata seen here.

Some larval food plants are listed on the previous Blog entry as above. The list of larval food plants is extensive and they are considered a serious pest on the ones that are commercial crops.
Although we have a number of the plants here, including a common one right outside the main windows where we find them, we never have any problem with them stripping the plants.




Family:-  EREBIDAE
Sub Family:- EREBINAE
Genus:- Achaea
Species:- janata



















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Helicoverpa assulta HELIOTHINAE NOCTUIDAE

Once again, I put this moth on the Blog on Wednesday, 22 November 2017.
I have added these photos which show the wings better.





Family:- NOCTUIDAE
Sub Family:- HELIOTHINAE
Genus:- Helicoverpa
Species:- assulta






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Saturday, 23 May 2020

Pandesma submurina 

Pandesma submurina EREBINAE EREBIDAE

At first sight I dismissed this moth as another variation of the Achaea janata but the markings on the rear wing caught my attention.

I found a reference on Bold Systems that the larval food is possibly  in the FABACAE family. If that is the case, we have many plants in this family including Hardenbergia Sp, Crotalaria Sp, Jacksonia scoparia (Dog Wood tree), Hovea Sp and Castanospermum australe (Black Bean), among others.

Wingspan is about 50 mm.








Family:- EREBIDAE
Sub Family:- EREBINAE
Genus:- Pandesma
Species:- submurina
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Tuesday, 12 May 2020

Balantiucha leucocephala

Balantiucha leucocephala EPIPLEMINAE URANIIDAE

Moths in URANIIDAE are often difficult to identify due to the tendency to roll their wings.
I have covered a few other moths from URANIIDAE previously on this Blog. Just enter "URANIIDAE" in the search box on the top left of the screen in the desktop (Web)version.

There doesn't seem to be a search box in the mobile version but you can change the mobile version to the web version by going to the bottom of the screen and clicking the web version button.
I don't have anything on the biology of this moth,
Wing span 25-28mm




 Family:- URANIIDAE
Sub Family:- EPIPLEMINAE
Genus:-  Balantiucha
Species:- leucocephala


Some synonyms still being used on the internet:-  
Dirades platyphylla
Erosia leucocephala
Phazaca leucocephala




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Wednesday, 6 May 2020

Ethmia postica

Ethmia postica ETHMIINAE DEPRESSARIIDAE


The larval food plants are said to be in the BORAGINACEAE family which in this area would probably be a weed that grows in the grass, Blue heliotrope, (Heliotropium amplexicaule) which is a Native of South America, a declared weed in NSW, also attracts Darnaid butterflies

Further afield in this area, plants in Ehretia (Boraginaceae) are also food plants for this moth.
Wing span about 25 - 30mm.





Family:- DEPRESSARIIDAE
Sub Family:- ETHMIINAE
Genus:- Ethmia
Species:- postica











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Wednesday, 29 April 2020

Oraesia argyrosigna

Oraesia argyrosigna CALPINAE EREBIDAE

This one has caused me some problems with identification. I am pretty sure that it is O. argyrosigna, but the more I look at the photos, the more inconsistencies I find in the various sites and books for any sort of positive ID.

There are really only two moths that it is likely to be here, O. argyrosigna and O. emarginata.
I put what I think is O. emarginata on post on this Blog on Wednesday, 14 March 2018. They are a bit more tropical usually, but like a lot of moths, given the right conditions they will migrate.
On the other hand, O. argyrosigna is a known east of here and the likely hood of it being here is very high.

As usual, all identifications are as good as I can make them from photographs, and there is ample room for error!
Wing span was a little over 50mm.






Family:- EREBIDAE
Sub Family:- CALPINAE
Genus:- Oraesia
Species:- argyrosigna




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Wednesday, 22 April 2020

Catephia linteola

Catephia linteola EREBINAE EREBIDAE

Some sites are listing this moth as Nagia linteola. This certainly used to be it's name along with many other synonyms, however, for the purpose of this Blog, I am sticking to the names used on Bold Systems.
Moths of Australia (Common 1990), lists the moth as  Nagia linteola (GuenĂ©e, 1852) subspecies ecclesiastica.
Although I found some reference to larval food plants, they were from India and not likely to be represented here. One mention of a Corymbia species is a possible but I couldn't find anything definite.






Family:- EREBIDAE
Sub Family:- EREBINAE
Genus:- Catephia
Species:- linteola











They can also be very dark and difficult to see the wing markings.


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Tuesday, 14 April 2020

Leucania cruegeri 

Leucania cruegeri NOCTUINAE NOCTUIDAE

 This week I have managed to find three new moths on the windows at night.
I don't have anything on the biology of this one.
Wing span is around 30 to 35mm.


Family:- NOCTUIDAE
Sub Family:- NOCTUINAE
Genus:- Leucania
Species:- cruegeri









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Edited:- April 22, 2020
 I originally put this on as Dysgonia Sp EREBINAE EREBIDAE

I have since decided that it is :-

Dysgonia solomonensis EREBINAE EREBIDAE

Despite the moth in the picture missing a couple of wing dots that appear in most of the samples, I think it is still D. solomonensis. The wing scales are missing in the area of the dots which is just under the centre loop of the dark patch.
The larval food plant is Breynia oblongifolia (Phyllanthaceae). We have a number of these in the garden.

There is a good photo match in Moths of Australia (Common 1990), using one of the synonyms, now out of date, Parallelia solomonensis Sub species papuana, and on Bold Systems with added notes under the synonym Bastilla solomonensis.



Family:- EREBIDAE
Sub Family:- EREBINAE
Genus:- Dysgonia 
Species:- solomonensis








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