Maliattha amorpha

Maliattha amorpha EUSTROTIINAE NOCTUIDAE

Was:- Maliattha amorpha ACONTIINAE NOCTUIDAE
Wing span about 19mm
The colour of the dark part of the pattern on the wings can vary from light tan to dark brown or with a hint of green or sometimes almost yellow.

Family:- NOCTUIDAE
Sub Family:- EUSTROTIINAE
Genus:- Maliattha
Species:- amorpha

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Meranda susialis EREBINAE EREBIDAE

Was:- Meranda susialis CATOCALINAE NOCTUIDAE

Family:- EREBIDAE
Sub Family:- EREBINAE
Genus:-  Meranda
Species:- susialis

I was not able to find much information on the biology of these moths.

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Leucania diatrecta

Leucania diatrecta NOCTUINAE NOCTUIDAE

Was:- Leucania diatrecta HADENINAE NOCTUIDAE
I wasn't able to find out anything much about the biology of these moths.

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






















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Leucania venalba NOCTUINAE NOCTUIDAE

Not too sure of the identification of this one.
It is most likely to be Leucania venalba HADENINAE NOCTUIDAE
Was:- Leucania venalba HADENINAE NOCTUIDAE

Family:- NOCTUIDAE
Sub Family:- NOCTUINAE
Genus:- Leucania
Species:- venalba (probably)










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Lophotoma diagrapha HYPENINAE EREBIDAE

Family:- EREBIDAE
Sub Family:-  HYPENINAE
Genus:-  Lophotoma
Species:- diagrapha




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Lophotoma metabula HYPENINAE EREBIDAE

I did a blog on another moth in the same genus, Lophotoma metabula HYPENINAE NOCTUIDAE on Wednesday, 7 October 2015, but there has been a name change and it is now
 Lophotoma metabula HYPENINAE EREBIDAE

Family:- EREBIDAE
Sub Family:-  HYPENINAE
Genus:-  Lophotoma
Species:- metabula







I have added a note to the previous blog entry abut the name change.

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Hypocala guttiventris

 Hypocala guttiventris HYPOCALINAE EREBIDAE

Was:- Hypocala guttiventris CATOCALINAE NOCTUIDAE
The forewing is variable in colour and often found without the dark area
Wingspan about 35mm.
This is a fuit piercing moth.

Family:- EREBIDAE
Sub Family:- HYPOCALINAE
Genus:- Hypocala
Species:- guttiventris

Synonyms :-
Hypocala lativitta Walker, 1865
Hypocala tryphaenina Felder & Rogenhofer, 1874

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Ipanica cornigera AGARISTINAE NOCTUIDAE

This is apparently  the only species in the genus Ipanica. There have been samples collected in Western Australia, Queensland, New South Wales, and Victoria. there is also a recording in South Australia very close to the intersection of the borders of Qld, NSW and SA.
Wikipedia also says Tasmania but the Atlas of Living Australia does not record it there.
Although other AGARISTINAE often fly during the day, Moths of Australia (I.F.B Common 1990) records Ipanica cornigera as being mainly nocturnal, and this is consistent with what I have seen here.
Wing span 30mm approx.

Family:- NOCTUIDAE
Sub Family:- AGARISTINAE
Genus:- Ipanica
Species:- corniger

The second moth in this photo is probably Achyra affinitalis PYRAUSTINAE CRAMBIDAE

(see the post Wednesday, 6 April 2016)

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Hypena masurialis

Hypena masurialis HYPENINAE EREBIDAE

Was:- Hypena subvittalis HYPENINAE NOCTUIDAE
Identification was a little difficult for this moth. Lepidoptera.butterflyhouse has a sample that looks like a good match that is named Hypena subvittalis with a synonym of Hypena rhynchalis, but BOLD systems has a number of samples of H. subvittalis that do not look like a match at all, and no samples of H. rhynchalis.
Further searching led me to a site that had a reasonable match named Hypena masurialis, and BOLD systems samples under that name are mostly a very good match. Samples have also been taken in this area.
The host plant listed for H. masurialis is Commelina cyanea (COMMELINACEAE), "WANDERING SAILOR" or sometimes "Wandering Jew" or "Scurvey Weed".  The local variety, however,  is Commelina diffusa and is so similar that there have, in the past, been some differences of opinion as to whether they are the same plant.  Commelina diffusa  is a common plant here and so is most likely to host our moth.
Further information on the plants can be obtained by going to the "Toowoomba plants 2008" blog site, a link is provided in the right margin of  this BLOG and enter the plant in the search box at the top of the page.

Family:- EREBIDAE
Sub Family:- HYPENINAE
Genus:- Hypena
Species:- masurialis









This is a common at rest pose, with the wings tucked in to the body and forming a high peak.

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End of Year

This will be the last post for this year. I will start again early next year.
I will be spend some time trying to identify the hundreds of moth photos that I have not had time to look at.
Thank you to all the people who are kind enough to keep coming back to view this blog, and the few who have written to me, I hope it has given you some pleasure. I have certainly learnt a lot from all the research necessary to do an article.

Don.

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Heliocheilus eodora HELIOTHINAE NOCTUIDAE

Wing span about 30mm.
I originally had this identified as Heliocheilus tenuistria HELIOTHINAE NOCTUIDAE  but it seems to be incorrect now. The preferred name is Heliocheilus eodora.
Some synonyms:-
 Melicleptria eodora ,    
Heliothis eodora ,    
Canthylidia tenuistria.

 Family:- NOCTUIDAE
Sub Family:- HELIOTHINAE
Genus:- Heliocheilus
Species:- eodora










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Heterorta plutonis ACONTIINAE NOCTUIDAE 

The wingspan is about 15 mm.
Synonym:-  Micraeschus diacaustus .

 Family:- NOCTUIDAE
Sub Family:- ACONTIINAE
Genus:- Heterorta
Species:- plutonis







 
Although not listed as a synonym, the moth Enispa plutonis, in Moths of Australia, (Common P455 and Fig 47.12), appears to be the same moth and is likely that it has had a name change.
The larvae are interesting in that they live in spiders webs and eat the leftovers from the spiders along with other detritus. Apparently the spiders don't mind them and they are not affected by the sticky threads.



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 Helicoverpa assulta

 Helicoverpa assulta HELIOTHINAE NOCTUIDAE

The species can interbreed with Helicoverpa armigera to produce viable offspring.
The larval food plants are generally in the Solonaceae family.
This is not a common moth here but we do see them occasionally.

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











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Helicoverpa punctigera   HELIOTHINAE NOCTUIDAE

These moths are often called "Native Budworm'
Once again the larval food plant include the same species as the other Helicovapa moths and are also considered a pest on a large variety of commercial crops.

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

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











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Eudesmeola lawsoni

Eudesmeola lawsoni EREBINAE EREBIDAE 

Was:- Eudesmeola lawsoni CATOCALINAE NOCTUIDAE
 The larval food plant is Scrub Wilga, Geijera salicifolia (Family RUTACEAE).
For those readers not familiar with the Wilga trees you can search for Wilga on http://toowoombaplants2008.blogspot.com.au
There are a couple of articles worth reading.
With a wingspan around 70 mm it is not a small moth.

Family:- EREBIDAE
Sub Family:- EREBINAE
Genus:- Eudesmeola
Species:- lawsoni

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Helicoverpa armigera HELIOTHINAE NOCTUIDAE

The most likely larval food plant here is the common milk thistle Sonchus oleraceus, ASTERACEAE. This thistle is an imported weed but is very common here. I don't know if there are any native plants that it prefers.  The moth is also a major pest on a large variety of vegetable food crops and some ornamental plants.

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

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