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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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 (Guenée, 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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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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A trick of the light

Scoparia exhibitalis SCOPARIINAE CRAMBIDAE

At first I thought this was another new species but soon realised that it was Scoparia exhibitalis.




Family:- CRAMBIDAE
Sub Family:- SCOPARIINAE
Genus:- Scoparia
Species:- exhibitalis

It didn't seem to matter what angle I took the photo on it still showed the colours on the scales on the wings.

They normally look like this sample to the left which I put on the Blog on Wednesday, 20 February 2019.











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Spoladea recurvalis

Spoladea recurvalis SPILOMELINAE CRAMBIDAE

This is another one I missed doing a Blog on in the first round.
This a very common moth around here and often seen flying during the day.
The larval food plants around here include Atriplex Sp. salt bushes and Chenopodium Sp. which are a weed here.
They are a pest on Beet vegetable crops.
Wing span about 20mm.

Family:- CRAMBIDAE
Sub Family:- SPILOMELINAE
Genus:- Spoladea
Species:- recurvalis












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I discovered I hadn't done a Blog on Spoladea recurvalis when I went to show these next couple of photos.

We has some good rain in February and have had another small amount just recently. The result is that despite it being late in the season, the butterflies and moths are reproducing in quite large numbers. There is not the variety we used to get but that may come.

Two sites west of us here have had flooding rain in February and a couple of weeks ago we were seeing an amazing number of  moths and butterflies. At one site, an unusually large number of caterpillars on plants and on the ground, moving from one area to another.
I don't think we can say the drought has really broken yet, but the plants and insects are certainly appreciating the water.

Daisies are always a good food plant for butterflies and moths, at least the ones that can feed on the nectar.

These daisies were in large numbers in an area that was recently flooded.

The photo to the left has two moths and a grass blue butterfly. There was a large number of species at that particular site about 80 Klm west of here.

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