A New Moth Book

I don't usually put any form of advertising on this site, but in this case, the book is very relevant to the cause of preserving our moth population.

The book, "Caterpillars, moths, and their plants of Southern Australia"
by Peter B. McQuillan, Jan A. Forrest, David Keane, & Roger Grund.
Published by Butterfly Conservation South Australia Inc., Adelaide, 2019,

Although not the "Every Australian Moth illustrated" I keep hoping for, this is an excellent book.
It has 208 pages and it includes some 650 photos, many of them donated by some 100 or so moth photographers around Australia.
Primarily covers the most common species in southern Australia.

There is a lot of information on the moth larvae and the plants they rely upon. Some of the material comes from new research done by hatching out the eggs and raising and photographing the caterpillars to adult. There are colour photographs of eggs, larval shelters, pupae, and cocoons.

Although not all the moths from the southern states make it to our area, there is still a lot of overlap of species.
The main use for me in my area (sub tropical) is the way the sample photos for a moth are set out. Trying to find a moth by wing pattern, shape and stance from a photo is difficult, worse if they are pinned, and having a photo of a similar moth can help find the family, then this can be followed through on the internet or in other books.
It is a good addition to my library.

The RRP is $35 but $30 online purchase. (Plus P&P).
The book is now available via the website:-  butterflyconservationsa.net.au/shop
Enquiries to info@butterflyconservationsa.net.au
Individual copies of the book via Australia Post cost $13 P&H

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The end of the project

The two moths I have added today brings the total of moths I have put on this Blog to over 500.

This is far more than I ever believed possible from our one hectare block, and it has taken 6 years and a great deal of time searching out photos and information to try to identify the various species where possible.

Although I still have photos that I have not been able to identify, they probably will remain unidentified. The amount of time needed to identify the more difficult moths makes it a less pleasant task.

I will continue to monitor the Blog and will continue to follow the moths here and will put any identifiable moths on the blog, however the combination of severe drought, local habitat changes and a massive drop in the number of all insects makes it less likely we will see any new moths.

I hope visitors to this Blog have enjoyed the moths and what little information I have been able to provide, it has been a wonderful learning experience for me.
 Happy Mothing
Don

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Parotis Poss marginata SPILOMELINAE CRAMBIDAE

There are a couple of species it could be, but the most likely it is P. marginata.
The most likely larval food plant here is a Jasmin species (RUBIACEAE).
Wing span about 35mm.

Family:- CRAMBIDAE
Sub Family:- SPILOMELINAE
Genus:- Parotis
Species:- marginata (Probably)







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Euphiltra epilecta WINGIA GROUP OECOPHORINAE OECOPHORIDAE

Wing span about 12mm.

Family:- OECOPHORIDAE
Sub Family:- OECOPHORINAE
Genus:- Euphiltra
Species:- epilecta











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Diatenes aglossoides 

Diatenes aglossoides EREBINAE EREBIDAE 

With a wing span around 40mm they are a fairly large moth.
They are fairly common throughout Australia including the inland, but less so in the wetter southeast and southwest areas of the country
The larval food plants are Wattles (Acacia, MIMOSACEAE).

Family:- EREBIDAE
Sub Family:- EREBINAE
Genus:- Diatenes
Species:- aglossoides






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Uresiphita ornithopteralis PYRAUSTINAE CRAMBIDAE

Sometimes called the tree lucerne moth.  It is found on the east coast of Australia, Tasmania and Western Australia. It is also found in New Zealand. The larval food plants here are likely to be Fabaceae species and Hovea species.
The wingspan is about 30 mm.

I have added a dark version and a lighter version because there is quite a bit of variation at times.

 Family:- CRAMBIDAE
Sub Family:- PYRAUSTINAE
Genus:- Uresiphita
Species:-  ornithopteralis


Darker version.

 Light version.

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Oenochroma turneri 

Just when I thought we had run out of new moths, this  Oenochroma turned up on the window early in the morning a couple of days ago.

Oenochroma turneri OENOCHROMINAE GEOMETRIDAE

Food plants are Macadamia and a Weeping fig, although it is likely other figs would also be eaten. We have both Macadamia and several fig trees.
Wing span about 65mm.

 Family:- GEOMETRIDAE
Sub Family:- OENOCHROMINAE
Genus:- Oenochroma
Species:- turneri

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Elaeonoma deltacostamela OECOPHORINAE OECOPHORIDAE

Was:- Eulechria deltacostamela
Larval food plant listed for the previous name, Eulechria deltacostamela, is dead Eucalyptus leaves.
Wing span about 15mm.

Family:- OECOPHORIDAE
Sub Family:- OECOPHORINAE
Genus:- Elaeonoma
Species:- deltacostamela












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Xanthodes congenita

Xanthodes congenita BAGISARINAE NOCTUIDAE

The most likely larval food plants here are Kurrajong ( Brachychiton, STERCULIACEAE ) and they are also said to feed on Hibiscus, but the only one we have here is Hibiscus heterophyllus, (MALVACEAE).

Family:- NOCTUIDAE
Sub Family:- BAGISARINAE
Genus:- Xanthodes
Species:- congenita









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Anestia semiochrea ARCTIINAE EREBIDAE

This is a male, the females can't fly. The colouring of the fore wing of the males varies quite a lot and this has caused a number of synonyms, Xanthodule semiochrea and Anestia ombrophanes are just a couple.
Wing span is around 15mm.
Larval food plant is likely to be Lichen and possibly also Algae.

Family:- EREBIDAE
Sub Family:- ARCTIINAE
Genus:- Anestia
Species:- semiochrea







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Amata nigriceps 

Amata nigriceps ARCTIINAE EREBIDAE

The classification of this moth has changed a bit over the last couple of years and there are some
sites that still have them in Artiidae sub family Ctenuchinae. I have gone by the Bold Systems
name.
The identification of the Amata species is difficult due to them being very similar. I hope I have
this one correct.
The larvae of some of the Amata moths have been known to eat a variety of plants including dead
Eucalyptus leaves.

Family:- EREBIDAE
Sub Family:- ARCTIINAE
Genus:- Amata
Species:- nigriceps











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Talanga tolumnialis SPILOMELINAE CRAMBIDAE 

Larval food plant is the foliage and shoots of Fig species  (Ficus, MORACEAE).
They are also known in the Northern Territory, India, Indonesia and the New Hebrides.

Family:- CRAMBIDAE
Sub Family:- SPILOMELINAE
Genus:- Talanga
Species:- tolumnialis











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Corgatha dichionistis 

Corgatha dichionistis BOLETOBIINAE EREBIDAE 

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

Family:- EREBIDAE
Sub Family:- BOLETOBIINAE
Genus:- Corgatha 
Species:- dichionistis

(Sub family corrected Nov 13 2019)
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Mixocera latilineata GEOMETRINAE GEOMETRIDAE

There is some confusion with photos on some of the internet sources of Oenochroma infantilis
OENOCHROMINAE GEOMETRIDAE and Mixocera latilineata GEOMETRINAE GEOMETRIDAE.
I believe many of the photos of these moths available on the internet, are incorrectly named. They can be very similar.

Family:- GEOMETRIDAE
Sub Family:- GEOMETRINAE
Genus:- Mixocera
Species:- latilineata 

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