Today we some lovely photos of moths from reader Tony Eales, who hales from Brisbane and has contributed several nice batches of photos in the past. His notes are indented.
Your story about those cute moths in Hawaii inspired me to put together a collection of unusual moths. Many I have only ID to the family level, and I’m not sure about some of those, either, so any moth experts should feel free to weigh in.
Culladia cuneiferellus. The first is one of my favourites and has been IDed to species level. It does a good imitation of a small dead twig:
Erechthias sp. The next one I love to show people and ask them to figure out which way it’s facing. [Readers?]
Geometridae. The next comes from one of the most beautiful and varied families. Makes them a nightmare to work out the species. Their caterpillars are easy to recognise as they are the classic “inchworm”:
Glyphipterigidae. I really can’t be sure about this next one. This family, the Glyphipterigidae, contains many tiny beautifully iridescent members, so I’m taking a punt that my moth is one of them.
Gracillariidae. The next is in the same family as the leaf miner moths you featured a little while back:
Pterophoridae. Plume moth. A bizarre looking family of moths:
Pyralidae. Really I’m just guessing the family of this one by its general appearance and the way it holds itself. I could be way off. A big family with 6000 species, so it’s a good bet:
Tortricidae. Leaf roller moth. To me it looks like a moth interpreted by Dr Seuss:
Facing left.
Agreed.
Right.
I agree as that is where the antenna in view is arising from.
I agree, facing right. Your point, plus the front legs of moths are typically the larger ones. Also the brush like feature on the right end of the moth in question looks similar to what is on the head end of the similar moth in the picture above the one in question.
If you look carefully you can see the eye just below that antenna attachment on the right.
I noticed that too but am not sure it is an eye (certainly looks like it could be) or merely a marking.
Yes, but the wing pattern implies a head on the left.
I’m going with facing right. It looks to me like the long thin bit in front of/parallel with the body may be an antenna, and it attaches on the right. So that would make the right the head.
I am no expert on Australian moths but the one labelled as Glyphypterigidae does not look right for that family to me. The very long antennae and the metallic colouring appear to me to be more characteristic of the Incurvariidae. I am prepared to be corrected, though!
Thanks for the input. I sent the photo to an expert I know but I haven’t received an answer yet
Nice photos!
The tortricid moth shown at the bottom of the list resembles British moths in the genus Grapholita. That genus is represented in Australia but a local expert would need to confirm the species.
Strange and wonderful fauna.
Little moths are intriguing in their ways of camouflage and misdirection. We see another demonstration of that in these good pictures.