re-visiting an Un-identified GELECHIOIDEA moth

On Wednesday, 5 October 2016, I did a blog on a moth that I was not able to identify at the time. A kind reader has been able to identify the moth as Petalanthes hexastera which is in subfamily OECOPHORINAE, family OECOPHORIDAE.

 Petalanthes hexastera OECOPHORINAE OECOPHORIDAE

 Family:- OECOPHORIDAE
Sub Family:- OECOPHORINAE
Genus:- Petalanthes
Species:- hexastera










 Unfortunately I was not able to find any information on its biology or its larval food plants. The wing span is quoted as being anything from 6mm to 10mm. I think my version was somewhere between those sizes closer to 8mm. It was a fast flier and hard to photograph. Some of the photographs with wings folded were taken in an "aquarium" which consists of two lens filters screwed together.
This is a useful tool and allows me to get a photo and then release the moth. We have one moth here that is able to actually fly in that restricted space (see the next entry below).

More photos on the blog 5th October 2016

Thanks to Nick, who has some great photos on "Flickr" under the name "Dustaway".
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Erechthias citrinopa ERECHTHIINAE TINEIDAE

 Synonym:- Comodica citrinopa
As I said above, these moths are tiny. They are breeding on a grafted Brachychiton Sp. ormeau in our yard and in spring they form brilliant clouds of golden moths in the early morning sunlight as they go through their mating dance. The larvae may be responsible for destroying the leaves on the tree, leaving the leaves brown and curled or they may only be after the honeydew. The tree is often also infested with thrips and leaf hoppers and a number of other insects. The tree eventually drops its old leaves and produces a whole new lot of leaves.

 Erechthias citrinopa ERECHTHIINAE TINEIDAE

Family:-  TINEIDAE
Sub Family:- ERECHTHIINAE
Genus:- Erechthias 
Species:- citrinopa






See also the blog Wednesday, 30 September 2015 on the insects in this Brachychiton tree.


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LECITHOCERIDAE

Crocanthes Poss glycina Sp LECITHOCERIDAE

Family:- LECITHOCERIDAE
Genus:- Crocanthes
Species:- glycina Sp (possibly)

Crocanthes prasinopis LECITHOCERIDAE

Family:- LECITHOCERIDAE
Genus:- Crocanthes
Species:- prasinopis


Larval food is moist dead leaves of  Eucalyptus forests.

Protolychnis trigonias LECITHOCERIDAE

Family:- LECITHOCERIDAE
Genus:- Protolychnis
Species:- trigonias (possibly)

LECITHOCERIDAE Poss Lecithocera Sp

Family:- LECITHOCERIDAE
Genus:- Lecithocera (possibly)
Species:- Sp

This is quite an old moth and many of the identifying scales are worn off.

Lecithocera Poss imprudens LECITHOCERIDAE

Family:- LECITHOCERIDAE
Genus:- Lecithocera
Species:- imprudens (possibly)











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LASIOCAMPIDAE

Pinara probably divisa sp Fem LASIOCAMPINAE LASIOCAMPIDAE

Although there are a couple of similar species I believe that P. divisa is correct.
The larval food plant is Eucalyptus.
Although they will come to light they generally don't. Females fly at night depositing eggs. Males quite often fly during the day.
This one is a female, the males are quite different in colour and pattern.

Family:- LASIOCAMPIDAE
Sub Family:- LASIOCAMPINAE
Genus:-  Pinara
Species:- divisa (probably)










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Pararguda Sp LASIOCAMPINAE LASIOCAMPIDAE

 Pararguda crenulata or Pararguda rufescens
There is a comment on iNaturalist.org (https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/2892507) commenting on a similar photo on that site.
"Based on BOLD, I think you are correct. However, I note that (in contrast to the BOLD specimens) Moths of  Victoria assigned its Pararguda with this general appearance and crenulate termen to P. rufescens, and gave the range of that species as "Queensland to WA and Tasmania". That's probably the most official version that exists at the moment and implies that they treat P. crenulata as a later (1894) synonym for P. rufescens (1855)".

Family:- LASIOCAMPIDAE
Sub Family:- LASIOCAMPINAE
Genus:-  Pararguda
Species:-  crenulata (probably)

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Lactura panopsia LACTURIDAE

Lactura panopsia LACTURIDAE   

EDITED May 29 2017, this post originally  used the genus Eustixis but the correct genus is  now Lactura

  Lactura panopsia LACTURIDAE was previously called Lactura panopsia and some of the internet sites still use this name.
The super family of Lactura panopsia is ZYGAENOIDEA. Also see the notes below on all the variations of the Family of this moth.
This moth has a range from the Bunya Mountains in Queensland to Kiama, south of Woolongong on the New South Wales coast. They are a tropical or sub tropical species so are more likely to be found near the coast. The Bunya Mountains, just to the West of us, has some rainforest, and often have unusual species for the inland.

 

Family:- LACTURIDAE
Sub Family:- LACTURA
Genus:- Lactura 
Species:- panopsia

 

One interesting mention in Moths of Australia (Common 1990), is that the moths are "probably distasteful to vertebrate predators and, as they are extremely resistant to cyanide in killing bottles, may well be able to produce cyanide as part of of their defence, as do certain European species of Zygaena".

The reference to the killing bottles, is that the author, Dr. I.F.B Common, was an entomologist, and when collecting moths they would use bottles with a small amount of cyanide (deadly poisonous for humans too) mixed with vermiculite then covered with a layer of freshly mixed plaster of Paris which was then allowed to set and a pad of moistened tissue on top.
The idea is that it would kill the moths quickly with minimal damage, to later be pinned out.

I would like to point out that this is not a process I use. I do not collect the insects and do not deliberately kill them. For the most part they are photographed live on the windows at night or around the property by day and, only for the odd occasion, I will catch them and put them in an aquarium for a short time to be photographed then released.

Below is an assortment of the listing for Eustixis panopsia on various sites.
Bold systems
Family:- LACTURIDAE
Sub Family:- LACTURA
Genus:- Eustixis 
Species:- panopsia

Encyclopedia of life
Super family ZYGAENOIDEA
Family:- LACTURIDAE
Sub Family:-
Genus:- Eustixis 
Species:- panopsia

Atlas of living Australia
Superfamily  YPONOMEUTOIDEA
Family  YPONOMEUTIDAE
Subfamily YPONOMEUTINAE
Genus  Eustixis
Species  Eustixis panopsia

Natural history museum global index brings up two references:-
PANOPSIA     Turner      1913      LOXOSTEGE      Pyraloidea      Crambidae
panopsia     Turner      1927      LACTURA      Zygaenoidea      Lacturidae

Insect.pro
Lactura panopsia Turner 1927 [species] (this is also the name used in Moths of Australia, Common 1990)

A Guide to Australian Moths (ZBorowski and Edwards 2007) also places the genus in Lacturidae

Bowerbird have it placed in Yponomeutidae, and yet are quoted in another site as placing it in Lacturidae.

Australian Faunal Directory
Species     Eustixis panopsia (Turner, 1926)     Generic Combination of Lactura panopsia Turner, 1926     Family LACTURIDAE

Confusing isn't it!
EDITED May 29 2017,  The genus is now Lactura

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 Hypertrophidae

Hypertropha possibly desumptana species HYPHERTROPHIDAE
This is one of those moths that has moved about a bit.
The original genus of Hypertropha was placed in the family Glyphipterigidae (Sedge moths), next it was transferred to Hypertropha in Copromorphidae (fruit worms), next it was placed in Hypertrophidae (twig moths), then reassigned to a sub family of Hypertrophinae in Glyphipterigidae, then moved again to Oecophoridae and finally moved (by I.F.B. Common Moths of Austrtalia P234) to a separate family Hypertrophidae.
Although most of the books and internet sites use Hypertrophidae as a family some are still placing the moths in Oecorphoridae.
Larval food is most likely Eucalyptus leaves.

Hypertropha   desumptana (Possibly)  HYPHERTROPHIDAE

Family:- HYPHERTROPHIDAE
Genus:- Hypertropha
Species:- desumptana (Possibly)






There is another genus Peritropha, which is sometimes placed in Depressariidae, which is similar, but I think Hypertropha is correct.

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This weeks post is a little late because we had what could be called "a good bit of rain" during the week.
A tropical cyclone ( Debbie) crossed the coast about 1000 Km to the north of us then turned into a rain depression and headed south with heavy rainfall and a lot of local flooding.
(Search for cyclone Debbie, Australia on the internet and you will see what I mean.)
Hopefully the rain is not too late for the moths to take advantage of the rapid growth in the plants. It has been a very dry summer and this rain is quite late in the season.



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Teak moths

Hyblaea ibidias HYBLAEIDAE

Although this moth is related to H. puera which causes severe damage to the teak forests through India, Indonesia and New Guinea, the Hyblaea ibidias larvae feed on Bower vine Pandorea jasminoides, (BIGNONIACEAE).
The larvae have an unpleasant habit if handled, of squirting the contents of its gut at the source of the interference. 

Family:- HYBLAEIDAE
Genus:- Hyblaea
Species:- ibidias

 The rear wings are quite spectacular.

The last photo is a moth that has lost most of its scales and is in poor condition. This is unfortunately the state of many of the moths we are seeing. Poor rainfall coming in storms with little in between has resulted in a year with low moth numbers
and very few of the larger moths coming to light at night.







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Herminiidae

This family of moths have not been well studied. They are very similar to moths from the sub family of  Hypeninae in Noctuidae, so if trying to identify moths that look similar check both families.
The larvae that have been studied live on the dead and decaying leaves on forest floor.
Note the large labial palpi particularly on the first photos.

Family:-  HERMINIIDAE
Genus:- Simplicia
Species:- armatalis

Family:- HERMINIIDAE
Genus:- Simplicia
Species:- caeneusalis

Family:- HERMINIIDAE
Genus:- Lithilaria
Species:- ossicolor

Family:- HERMINIIDAE
Genus:- Nodaria
Species:- aneliopis (possibly)










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