Moths of Toowoomba

Armactica columbina

Armactica columbina BAGISARINAE NOCTUIDAE

Was:- Armactica columbina CHLOEPHORINAE NOLIDAE

I thought I had finished with the Noctuid moths for the time being, but it seems that a number of what used to be Nolidae moths are now in other families. In this case the Armactica seem to have been moved twice since I took the original photos of these moths. The various sites on the internet and my books are all over the place with the placement of these moths. As usual, I will stick to the placement as used on BOLD systems web site.

With the light at the right angle, this is a quite spectacular moth as you can see in the photo with the wings spread.

 Family:- NOCTUIDAE
Sub Family:-  BAGISARINAE
Genus:-  Armactica
Species:- columbina

Although the larvae are said to have been found on Cordia subcordata, in the  family Boraginaceae, (the borage and forget-me-not family), and includes other shrubs, trees, and herbs, this is not a local native plant here.

Boraginaceae plants in general, are not common here, and the only one we have in that family is heliotrope (Heliotropium spp.). It is an introduced weed that is now very common, having been introduced as yet another garden plant and has escaped into the wild.
Wingspan of this moth is about 40mm. The grid in the fly screen is about 2mm.


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 Armactica conchidia BAGISARINAE NOCTUIDAE

Was:- Armactica conchidia CHLOEPHORINAE NOLIDAE

This moth is sexually dimorphic. The female has the dark triangle on the fore wing.
There are a couple of instances on the internet that appear to have the male and female identification back to front.
This moth also seems to have quite a number of synonyms, but since I could not find any real information under the various names there is not much point in including them here.
I was not able to find the larval food plants.
This moth is said to be more common in the drier inland than on the coastal areas.
Wing span about 30mm

 

Family:- NOCTUIDAE
Sub Family:- BAGISARINAE
Genus:- Armactica
Species:- conchidia 

This one is a male.

The moths to the left and below are females.
Although the photo with open wings is rather blurred, it still gives a good idea of the rear wing colouring.

We get a bit of variation in the fore wing colouring from darker grey to light grey.

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