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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Australian Moths and other garden observations (2 Viewers)

Last night was just WOW! Had to come home early at 11pm as my companion for the night our 13 year old was hungry and had had a long day at school but I was not too bothered as I will be back many times and I had had a good night. The omens were outstanding as the first thing I saw when we parked at the location was my major bucket list bird the Palm Cockatoo and for the next 30 minutes until it got dark I was privileged to have two of these amazing birds feeding in the clearing around me...no photos as only had my 100mm macro lens but I will be going back and will post any photos here.
This site is the location of the old pistol range, it has a decent dirt track and is in a slight bowl so a bit more sheltered and has wrecks of buildings so the genny can be under cover. Took over 400 photos and of course get home and my software decides to play up so having to use a different programme which is slower so will take a while to edit, ID and post but here is one of the highlights, apparently a new species for the Cape the Saturnidae Opodiphthera eucalypti an absolute stunner
 

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A few more from the last couple of nights
Donuca lanipes (Erebidae, Erebinae, Catocalini) - probably my favourite of this genus
Entomogramma torsa (Erebidae, Erebinae, Catocalini) - only the third time I have caught this
Pygmaeomorpha ocularis (Limacodidae) - one of those moths that no matter how many times I catch it I take heaps of photos!
Ramadasa crystallina (Erebidae, Erebinae, Catocalini) - a new species for me
 

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A few Crambidae from the last week or so
Euclasta gigantalis (left) and maceratalis (Crambidae, Pyraustinae) - I catch maceratalis regularly but have only seen a few gigantalis so it was nice to get them both on the same evening
Loryma recusata (Pyralidae, Pyralinae) have only seen three of these prior to this weekend with the last being in 2018
Myrmidonistis hoplora (Crambidae, Spilomelinae) - a Crambid that seems to be rarely recorded, I can only find three other records from 1993 and 94. I have now recorded this from both Thursday Island and Weipa. This image is from April this year on TI
Patania aedilis (Crambidae, Spilomelinae) - a new species for me this weekend
Pseudonoorda metalloma (Crambidae, Odontinae) -another new species for me this weekend
 

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The last couple of nights have been more typical for the Dry season - 30 species and fewer individuals. This does at least give me a chance to carry on researching the currently un-identifed photos from this week (well the last nine years really!). Friday's session at the old pistol range is now over 100 species which is a first for me for the Dry and there are still 40 odd species to go...
Here are a few more from the last few days
Circopetes obtusata (Geometridae, Oenochrominae) - my first for three years
Eloasa cf callidesma (Limacodidae) a very tricky genus to be confident about
Thyas microrrhoea (Erebudae, Erebinae, Catocalini) - although I have included it in Thyas I think its actual placement is not confirmed. Wherever it sits a stunning moth when it flashes its hindwings!
Endoxyla (Cossidae) - unsure as to species as there are several undescribed species. This is roughly the size of my hand so not exactly small!
UPDATE the Endoxyla has been ID'd by one of the experts in this family as Endoxyla mackeri
 

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Caught what is apparently a new species for Australia earlier this week, with the ID confirmed by Dr Terry Whitaker the authority on Bornean Pyralids
Sisyrophora cirralis Swinhoe,1897, (Crambidae, Spilomelinae) - although in his words "What genus we use now is open to question. Shaffer suggest a transfer to Palpita but I treat it in Caprinia a genus resurected by Rose (1980: 60) It is the TS of Caprinia."
Have also included Sisyrophora pfeifferae (Crambidae, Spilomelinae) from earlier this year on TI for comparison.
 

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Congrats on your first!

These two look very much like the Box-tree Moth, an introduced, Asian species which has become a pest and is spreading North here.

 
Congrats on your first!

These two look very much like the Box-tree Moth, an introduced, Asian species which has become a pest and is spreading North here.

I thought the very same when I saw this early this morning before you posted this-particularly the right-hand image.
 
Been a long time since I have seen perspectalis but yes very similar although perspectalis has broad dark fringes I think?
 
Has been very windy the last few days which has made trapping poor to say the least - in fact did not bother turning the trap on last night. Here are a few of the more regular visitors from the last week or so
Agrotis interjectionis (Noctuidae, Noctuinae) - a regular visitor in small numbers
Eublemma roseana (Erebidae, Boletobiinae) - one seven Eublemma species recorded so far in the garden
Ochrogaster lunifer (Notondontidae, Thaumetopoeinae) - a regular and highly variable species
Lymantria pelospila (Erebidae, Lymantrinae) - the most regular Lymantria species here
 

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Not moths so my apologies and not all recent but I am just sorting my Cerambycidae collection. All have been caught in the garden in the last four years. In order of the photos, the IDs for some are still tentative as I am not an expert in these at all
Coptocercus crucigerus - the smallest species here.
Top three unknown Prionidae (left two are possibly a known but as yet undescribed species) body length 70mm plus: bottom row left two are Batocera frenchi (body length 50mm) and right one Rosenberia megalocephala (body length 55-60mm)
Phoracantha recuva and Phoracantha semipunctata - part of the so called Eucalypt Longhorn group
Piesarthrius frenchi - unfortunately with damaged antennae, these were very common on the sheet on TI sometimes 10+ a night. They, as are many Cerambycidae, are exceedingly clumsy and would stumble all over the place and flush everything so my son used to have the job of catching them when they appeared and releasing them at the end of the night!
Rhytiphora mediofasciata - a regular feature on the sheet here in Weipa
 

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Managed to get into the Bush last night as the wind had dropped considerably. Quite quiet in large part due to the moon that although only half full was very bright as there were no clouds. The whole night I was trapping to the sound track of dingos in the distance and, for the first time in probably 20+ years was bitten by the mossies - I called it a night at around 11pm as the activity had died down and the mossies were getting rather annoying! By the time everything ID'd will end up with between 80-90 species so cannot complain, especially as many of my mothing mates down south are going back into their sixth lockdown and for some it is looking like the spring is going to be a write off as they are unlikely to be allowed free movement until much later in the year. I will post more photos tomorrow - just about to go out to the pub - but the undoubted highlight was a new Sphingidae for me (taking my Aussie list to over 50 out of a possible 87 species) Macroglossum prometheus lineata
 

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Having lived and trapped in the Tropics for nearly ten years now it is easy to forget that many of the spectacular moths I get routinely are rarely seen south of Cairns let alone overseas and so what is routine for me is most definitely not for my Aussie moth-er friends let alone any of my old UK moth group. Here are a few of the regular species that whilst I appreciate tend to look past for the more unusual species for me...
Diduga ANIC 1 (Erebidae, Arctiinae, Lithosiini) - one of the two Diduga species that I see, this one is restricted to FNQ and as yet remains undescribed
Hypodoxa emilaria (Geometridae, Geometrinae) - a frequent and highly variable species, this one is particularly dark
Termioptycha eucarta (Pyralidae, Epipaschiinae) - this one is a male. Has a very distinctive sitting position.
Agathia (Geometridae, Geometrinae) - this genus is a regular to the trap but this particular individual is a bit of a mystery as it does not fit any of the described species or known unknowns exactly. Unfortunately it escaped so will remain at genus level!
 

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Managed to get into the Bush last night as the wind had dropped considerably. Quite quiet in large part due to the moon that although only half full was very bright as there were no clouds. The whole night I was trapping to the sound track of dingos in the distance and, for the first time in probably 20+ years was bitten by the mossies - I called it a night at around 11pm as the activity had died down and the mossies were getting rather annoying! By the time everything ID'd will end up with between 80-90 species so cannot complain, especially as many of my mothing mates down south are going back into their sixth lockdown and for some it is looking like the spring is going to be a write off as they are unlikely to be allowed free movement until much later in the year. I will post more photos tomorrow - just about to go out to the pub - but the undoubted highlight was a new Sphingidae for me (taking my Aussie list to over 50 out of a possible 87 species) Macroglossum prometheus lineata
Very similar to our own Hummingbird Hawkmoth.
 
Last night was cloudy so despite it virtually being a full moon I decided to put the trap on for a couple of hours and see what appeared. By midnight the clouds had cleared and the moon made trapping pointless so turned the trap off but not before catching these two beauties
Parasoidae paroa (Limacodidae) - a new species for me and possibly for the cape as well. Cant find any published records in Qld north of Brisbane but I do know it has been recorded around Townsville (and around Darwin and western NT)
Tonica effrctella (Depressariidae) - not a common moth this is only the second time I have caught this, both occasions have been here in Weipa.

I am not a huge list person but I do (when I have time) enter all my records onto recording software linked to the photos (still got many months of records to do) but I had a quick look at the first month here in Weipa and the list is just shy of 350 which is not bad considering it is the Dry and I was away for a week of this back in Cairns...
 

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