Moths of Toowoomba

Aloa marginata ARCTIINAE ARCTIIDAE

Sometimes when I start researching a moth to put on this blog, I find there are a number of different names for a moth which seem to be referring to just one physical moth. I then do a search for synonyms. The results can be quite surprising, as in this case.

Although all the references would appear to be referring to the one moth, many of the sites do not have a picture, or at least a decent picture of the moth and since the moth is an "extremely variable species" (Common, Moths of Australia P435), having a great variation in the black markings on the wings, and the colour of the the wings at times can be a bit pink. The abdomen in the case of the photo I have put in, is red, but it can also be yellow. No doubt when or if the DNA of the moth is examined it may turn out there are many moths or many colours to the one moth.

You can imagine, with the technology of the early 1800's it was easy to assume that there were many species where at present there appears to be just one variable one.
For the purposes of this post, I will use the name from  Australian Moths link in the right hand column of the blog page. This is an excellent site and I can highly recommend it to anyone interested not only in moths, since the other areas of the site cover butterflies and the larvae of both.

Aloa marginata ARCTIINAE ARCTIIDAE 

Family:- ARCTIIDAE
Sub Family:-  ARCTIINAE
Genus:- Aloa
Species:- marginata




Below are some possible synonyms. Be aware there is a possibility they may be incorrect. Such is the nature of the internet!
Synonyms (some)
    Paramsacta marginata
    Phalaena marginata
    Aloa marginata
    Areas roseicostis
    Areas punctipennis
    Amsacta flaveola
    Paramsacta pura
    Amsacta eurymochla
    Bombyx marginata
    Amsacta marginata simplicans
By the way, it can also have a common name of "Donovan's Tiger Moth" having been named by a (Mr)Donovan in 1805.



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