Christmas

Below is the last posting for this year. To those readers who celebrate Christmas, I wish you a Merry
Christmas and I will resume posting in January 2017.
The pattern in the middle of the above card is a digital kaleidoscope of the photograph of the moth (Cosmodes elegans AMPHIPYRINAE NOCTUIDAE) shown in the corners of the card.


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Niceteria macrocosma NACOPHORINI ENNOMINAE GEOMETRIDAE

Family:- GEOMETRIDAE
Sub Family:- ENNOMINAE
Genus:- Niceteria
Species:- macrocosma

Larval food plants are Eucalyptus and Angophora costata, (Myrtaceae).








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Mnesiloba eupitheciata EUPITHECIINI LARENTIINAE GEOMETRIDAE

Family:- GEOMETRIDAE
Sub Family:- LARENTIINAE
Genus:- Mnesiloba
Species:- eupitheciata



I could find no reference to the larval food plant.

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Beautiful Leaf Moth 

  Gastrophora henricaria OENOCHROMINAE GEOMETRIDAE

 Family:- GEOMETRIDAE
Sub Family:- OENOCHROMINAE
Genus:- Gastrophora
Species:- henricaria

This moth attached itself to me while I was mowing. 
This is a female. The male has a narrow dark line across the fore wings.
The larval food plants include various species of Eucalyptus (Gum trees) and Brush Box (Lophostemon confertus).
Wing span 75 to 80mm.





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Scopula innocens STERRHINAE GEOMETRIDAE

Family:- GEOMETRIDAE
Sub Family:- STERRHINAE
Genus:- Scopula
Species:- innocens




There are a number of moths in the Scopula genus that are similar to the photo above. The best match I found was on the site www.lepbarcoding.org. There have been samples taken north of us and down to the Queensland border.

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Scopula rubraria STERRHINAE GEOMETRIDAE

Family:- GEOMETRIDAE
Sub Family:- STERRHINAE
Genus:- Scopula
Species:- rubraria






These are probably the most common moth on the grass areas of this property.
As the moths age so the pinkness of the rear wing fades.
The larval food plant is  Plantago lanceolata (PLANTAGINACEAE), a common weed in our grass. 

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GRACILLARIIDAE

Caloptilia azaleella GRACILLARIINAE GRACILLARIIDAE

 

 

Family:- GRACILLARIIDAE
Sub Family:- GRACILLARIINAE
Genus:- Caloptilia
Species:- azaleella











Caloptilia azaleella GRACILLARIINAE GRACILLARIIDAE
The larvae of this moth is considered a pest on azaleas and rhododendrons. They bore into the leaves of the plants. The first two larval instars are sap sucking, the third is tissue feeding (Collins, Moths of Australia 1990).
Caloptilia azaleella is similar to C. xanthopharella (See Wednesday, 18 November 2015), the larval food plant of which is Glochidion ferdinandi (cheese tree).
In both cases the "at rest" stance with the body raised is typical.
Wing span is around 10mm.

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Heliothela ophideresana HELIOTHELINI SCOPARIINAE CRAMBIDAE

 

Family:- CRAMBIDAE
Sub Family:- SCOPARIINAE
Genus:- Heliothela
Species:- ophideresana  







Heliothela ophideresana HELIOTHELINI SCOPARIINAE CRAMBIDAE
I was unable to find out the larval food plant.
Wingspan would be about 15mm.
The lighter areas on the rear wings are usually yellow. 
SYNONYMS:- Heliothela kruegeri, Heliothela ophideres, Heliothela pusilla, Orosana ophideresana
It is found in other countries such as:- Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, (Africanmoths.com).

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A total of 40 moth families have been found on this 1 Hectare (2.5 Acre) lot.

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