Moths April 2018

The moths are still flying here in Canberra, and the autumn flying species are beginning to show. As with previous months, I have posted here a brief selection of species I saw when out trapping moths with Glenn Cocking on Black Mountain last week. Glenn also identified them for me.

This first one, above and below is Chenuala heliaspis, a robust species with a good covering of 'hair' and splendid spreading antennae.

Some of these shots were taken of the moths on the white sheet which the lamp was shining on, others were of moths that landed on nearby trees or shrubs. To attain true colours, it is important to shield the moths from the lamp light and use a flash to freeze all motion.

Proteuxoa cinereicillis - what are the little spikes on its legs for?

Agriophara sp? If this one wasn't aligned squint with the bark it would be virtually invisible.

Achyra affinitalis - what lovely long legs this one has, and spectacular large eyes for such a slim body and head.

Utetheisa pulchelloides - the heliotrope moth.

Hednota sp - a long slim body, well about 1 cm, with distinctive stripes along the folded wings and long slim antennae.

And this was the champion of the night, as far as size matters. A male White-stemmed Gum Moth Chelepteryx collesi. A full 14 cm wingspan.

November Moths

Delexocha ochrocausta - wingspan c2 cm
note the long upward curved labial palps and fringed hind edges to the wings

I was out on another moth foray in the the Black Mountain woodland in November, with Glenn Cocking and Suzi Bond. Between this trip and that in October, there was quite a difference in the species and abundance of moths attracted to the lights. However, as I am simply a beginner in moth identification I was following their guidance, so what I present here is a very short list of the moths seen. All I aim to do is share my experience with others and illustrate the variety of moths, their colours and forms that can be found in one night with a light.

Wingia aurata - wingspan c2 cm

This Golden Leaf Moth has an amazing face as well as upturned hind edge to its wings. The shape and colour probably mimic a fallen leaf or piece of bark. The flash lighting exaggerates the gloss on the wing scales, it would be mat-toned in daylight when at rest.

Termessa nivosa - c2.5 cm

A Snowy Footman - what a wonderful name. This species' caterpillars feed on lichen, algae and moss and live beneath loose flakes of tree bark.

Melanodes anthracitaria - wingspan c5 cm

No common name - most moths do not have one. This is one of the abundant Geometridae species flying that night and its dark grey/black colouring fitted well on a piece of partially burned wood. There are two colour forms of this species, this and a yellow and black type. There are also two colour forms of caterpillar, green and brown. Both colours of caterpillar can come from the dark adults, but only the green from the yellow and black form. I wonder why this has evolved to the benefit of the species.

Sandava scitisignata - wingspan c2 cm

Fungi Snout - all moths should have such character names. The caterpillars of this species feed on fungi. I like mushrooms too.

Idaea costaria - wingspan c1.5 cm

A White-edged Wave - the pale leading edge to the wings, the costa, shows white in artificial light when they flutter and land around it. This is another geometridae, and like most of those species its mottled camouflage colouring blends with the substrate it lands on. In this case, a log with no bark.

Scribbly Gums

A rich mix of old and young trees in Black Mountain forest

I have noticed that there have been many more features on wildlife than wildpaces lately in the blog, so I shall try to adjust this. First off, this gave a reason to go for a walk in one of the local forests, the 500 ha Black Mountain Nature Reserve, which is only two kilometres from Canberra city centre  The woodland is dominated by two eucalyptus tree species, Scribbly Gum Eucalyptus rossi and Red Stringybark E. macrorhyncha, and the under story is mostly a sparse covering of grasses and short shrubs. The trees provide thousands of cavities for such animals as possums and parrots - especially Crimson Rosellas, while I often see swamp wallabies and echidnas working through the undergrowth.

Wild forest in the foreground - urban high-rise only a mile away

There are numerous tracks to follow through the forest and multiple variations of routes to take. On today's walk I went around the summit and looked down onto the city. And I noticed how, even the city looked green with the street and park trees shining between the buildings.

A zoomed-in view of Canberra city from Black Mountain

Now that it is late summer, some species of eucalypt trees have shed their outer layers of old bark to reveal shiny new skin. The Scribbly Gums do this but not the stringybarks.

This fine old Scribbly Gum has large and small hollows,
 it is a true veteran, yet is still throwing up young branches from its old trunk.

The cast bark lies thick on the ground in some places, giving homes and shelter to all sorts of animals, but it can build up deep enough to become a fire hazard and Canberra, as the bush capital, is well aware of the danger of bush fires. So there are regular burn-offs of the ground cover over the years to prevent such a risk.

Shards of bark lie about the base of the gum trees, their inner surface glowing red in the sunshine

The Scribbly Gum is named after the marks on its bark, which are especially noticeable when the bark is freshly cast. These scribbles are the marks of where a species of moth larvae, Scribbly Gum Moth Ogmograptis scribula, have meandered safely beneath the old bark layer, while munching on the fresh growth immediately below. To find out more on the moth and its larva, click here to a link to the Australian museum website.

The zig-zag trail left by a scribbly gum moth larva - its journey began at the thin end of the trail, where the adult moth had laid her egg. The trail ends at the thick end where the larva emerged and crawled into a crevice to form a cocoon. The  adults emerge in the autumn.