Moths of Toowoomba

Spodoptera litura

Spodoptera litura NOCTUINAE NOCTUIDAE

Was:- Spodoptera litura AMPHIPYRINAE NOCTUIDAE

Both these photos are of males. The light blue stripe near the end of the fore wing is the indicator.
None of the photos I have taken on our property are of females. They are certain to be here, but I
have never managed to photographed them.
The caterpillars are an agricultural pest both here and overseas, and will eat nearly any leafy
plant, as well as mosses and ferns.

Family:- NOCTUIDAE
Sub Family:- NOCTUINAE
Genus:-  Spodoptera
Species:- litura

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

Tathorhynchus

Tathorhynchus fallax TOXOCAMPINAE EREBIDAE

Was:- Tathorhynchus fallax CATOCALINAE NOCTUIDAE
Some sites are still using CATOCALINAE  as the sub family in the family EREBIDAE, but BOLD systems uses the sub family TOXOCAMPINAE, family EREBIDAE. I have been sticking to the BOLD systems identification.

When I first identifies this moth as Tathorhynchus fallax, I found there was a lot of confusion about
its name. One site was quoting a synonym of T. exsiccata. This now seems to have settled, and T.
exsiccata appears to be a separate species in Africa and America and Tathorhynchus fallax is the one
we get here. The book Moths of Australia (I.F.B. Common 1990) places Tathorhynchus fallax as a
subspecies of T. exsiccata.

The larval food plant in America is Lucern, also known as Alfalfa (Medicago sativa, FABACEAE), but according to Moths of Australia (I.F.B. Common 1990) the food plant in Australia has not been
recorded and I was unable to find any definite information.

Family:- EREBIDAE
Sub Family:- TOXOCAMPINAE
Genus:-  Tathorhynchus
Species:- fallax

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