Australian Moths and other garden observations (2 Viewers)

[Atropos]

A few more from my recent trip
Hydroclada kenricki (Limacodidae) - one of two very similar species of Hydroclada that occur in Australia. H.antigona has always been thought of as the commoner of the two but I catch kenricki regularly both on the east coast and at home in Weipa, I cannot remember the last time I saw antigona
Hyposidra incomptaria (Geometridae, Ennominae)
Pachynoa xanthochyta (Crambidae, Spilomelinae) - a species that I used to catch regularly around Cairns but far less commonly found on the Cape, I think this is my first for over 5 years
Syllepte chalybifascia (Crambidae, Spilomelinae) - there is some discussion as to the correct ID and taxonomic placement for this very attractive species which is found across the Indo-Pacific region. This is my first for over 7 years

 

[Atropos]

Have run the trap in the garden for a few nights this week - names are on the photos as BF keeps altering the order I upload them!

 

[Atropos]

Sometimes luck just does not go with you. Had both of these come to the light at home a couple of nights ago, both are undescribed species, the Anigraea is not like any I have ever seen before and the Pseudogyrtona I have caught once before nearly a decade ago and I was asked to retain the next one I saw...sadly in my attempts to capture both I fell off a small ladder and brushed them off the wall never to be seen again.....

 

[Atropos]

This will probably be my last post for a while as we are now in Cairns for a prolonged period for chemotherapy and we are not sure when we will be back in Weipa. One from my penultimate session trapping at home Dipterygina kebeae (Noctuidae, Acronictinae)

 

[etudiant]

This will probably be my last post for a while as we are now in Cairns for a prolonged period for chemotherapy and we are not sure when we will be back in Weipa. One from my penultimate session trapping at home Dipterygina kebeae (Noctuidae, Acronictinae)

Wishing you a successful therapy and a speedy return home.
Your expertise is greatly appreciated, you will be very much missed.
Hasten back!

 

[Atropos]

Wishing you a successful therapy and a speedy return home.
Your expertise is greatly appreciated, you will be very much missed.
Hasten back!

Thank you, sadly it is not myself that is ill but my wife who has a rare metastasied advanced liver cancer and is in pallaitive care

 

[Stuart Goodwin]

This will probably be my last post for a while as we are now in Cairns for a prolonged period for chemotherapy and we are not sure when we will be back in Weipa. One from my penultimate session trapping at home Dipterygina kebeae (Noctuidae, Acronictinae)

My thoughts are with you.

Best wishes
Stuart

 

[renopaul]

Terribly sorry to hear this Dom, thinking of you both.
Paul

 

[Frank van Drogen]

Thank you, sadly it is not myself that is ill but my wife who has a rare metastasied advanced liver cancer and is in pallaitive care

So sorry to hear. You both are definitely in my thoughts!

 

[Atropos]

Back home for a week between treatment cycles (hopefully after this cycle all my wifes treatment can be done at home) so as our house was full of her girlfriends and having a break from my care is essentail for both of us made the most of the conditions and went out trapping for the night (and will again toorrow night). An absolutely fantastic evening, nothing outrageous but the sheer nuber of moths made up for that with between 1500-2000 on the sheet when I closed it dwn after midnight. Here are a few of the photos that I have sorted

 

[Atropos]

You just never know what you will find mixed in all the apparently "boring brown jobs" this subtly attractive moth is a species called Ochthophora turneri. Described in 1906 from a specimen caught in "Babooni, British New Guinae" the only Australian records I can track down are from 1964 when two individuals were taken by Common and Upton at Lockerbie Scrub and Iron Range. There are no published photos of a live specimen on line.

 

[Atropos]

I went to visit friends last night in between my wifes treatment whilst she had a couple of girlfriends round at the apartment we are staying in in Cairns. The sheet was quite poor but a walk round looking at their garden found a few things on their fruiting guava tree.
Also of nterest was this large Cermabycidae Agrianome spinicollis that was targeting my LEDs - given their jaws an draw blood we removed it before it was able to damage the cabling
Phyllodes imperialis, Eudocima phalonia, Erchia dubia

 

[Atropos]

Whilst in Cairns for treatments very slowly working through some of my backlog for 2024 and looking at some of the many as yet unidentified photos. This is I believe Ecnomia hesychima (Turner 1936) Noctuidae, Acontiinae. It apparently occurs in Western Aus, Northern Territory and Queensland. Its TL is listed as Kuranda and a junior synonyms TL is listed as Cape York. There are recent records from WA and the NT but I can find none from Queensland. As far as I can tell these are the only published live photographs of this species.

 

[Atropos]

Back home for a few nights (still fighting to get treatment at home rather than having to fly into Cairns three weeks out of four) so whilst mf wife catching up with friends went out to my main site as conditions were excellent. It did not disappoint with over 2000 moths on the sheet! Unlikely to get round to processing everything for a while as am a long way behind but have done a quick initial sort to get rid of obviously worthless photos.
Here are a few of the initial highlights - names on the photos...I hope!

 

[Atropos]

Went out again tonight and it was shaping up to be even more productive than Tuesday...slightly fewer moths only 1000-1500 on the sheet but far far greater diversity but rain certainly stopped play for me. 1105pm slight rain...1112pm inch of water across my trap site genny in danger of getting flooded...1120 everything in back of 4x4 soaked and despite leather gloves hands got minor "burns" taking a rather hot MV bulb off...1125 two foot of water across the road...thank God for a snorkel...1155 got home having not seen the sides of the road at all and absolutely hurling it down...forecast "low (less than 25%) chance of 1mm rain over night" hmmmmmm. A mere 400 photos to go through

 

[IamFof]

Having lived in Qld for many years, I can just visualise your drive home. Not nice!!!
Gabe can really get into tickling the angels up there.

 

[Atropos]

Having lived in Qld for many years, I can just visualise your drive home. Not nice!!!
Gabe can really get into tickling the angels up there.

We have lived in remote Qld / NT for last 12 years and are used to monsoonal rains but that night was something else.....how BOM missed that I have no idea!

 

[Atropos]

It has been a productive week this week so will try and post a few o the highlights over the next couple of days before we fly out again - BF seems at times to alter the order once you upload but IDs are on the photos:
Anticarsia irrorata (Erebidae) - whilst this species was a regular around Cairns this is my first record from the Cape
Austrocaligula carnea (Saturniidae) - a very large and impressive species, only my second record. There is uncertainty as to its correct taxonomic status, some authorities treat it aas a junior synonym of lorenthi but others as a species in its own right.
Donuca orbigera (Erebidae) - not particularly comon here on the Western Cape
Eumeta variegata (Psychidae) - this has been quite scarce this year, usually a regular visitor to the sheet
Gonodontis orthotoma (Ennominae) - up to 5 on the sheet most nights.

 

[Atropos]

A few Crambidae from the last week
Desmia discrepans - work is currently being done on this genus in the Indo-Pacific so it may well be subject to a name change!
Hyalobathra miniosali - a scarce visitor to the sheet. This is only my third record
Nosophra hypsalis - only my second record of this species

 

[Atropos]

Back home for five nights before returning to Cairns for treatment so shot out last night...which ended very prematurely and in a disaterous manner when the genny shorted out during heavy rain. It was protected by a tarp and was tucked in under the 4x4 as well but it seems as though the water had found a way and pooled on the tarp and found a hole and dumped itself on the plug....dried it out overnight and luckily this morning the genny started and I was able to get the trap to work so looks like no damage done.
Two beetles as have not sorted rest yet