Moths
Also belong to the order of LEPIDOPTERA “Scaily winged insects” including Butterflies & Skippers. There are about 22,000 species of Moths in Australia.
Moths are like ugly cousins of Butterflies, they may be dull in colour & uninteresting, but a large variety of them are very colorful. And are of great Scientific Interest.
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Bogong Moth
(Agrotis infusa)
Color: dark brown mottle appearance, 2 white spots on each forewing
Active period of Adults: Spring to Autumn
Status/distribution: common in NE Victoria
General notes: in Spring adults migrate to the Southern Australian Alps where they congregate in caves. In Autumn they fly back to northern Australia to mate & lay their eggs.
Emperor Gum Moth
(Opodipthera eucalypti)
Color: light brown body & wings with 4 eye-spots on each wing, 2 bright orange eye spots on hind wings, Act as a warning to predators
Active period of Adults: Adults emerge in Summer, sometimes they will remain inside their tough cocoon for a year or more until the weather conditions are right for the moth to emerge.
Status/distribution: Common & widespread in Australia
Larval color: bright green (DO NOT REMOVE caterpillars from their habitat)
Larval food plant: Eucalypt gum leaves
Lifespan: Adults live for only a short time.
Faggot Case Moth
(Clania ignobilus)
Active period of Adults: Spring & Summer
Habitat: Suburban, country gardens, woodlands
Status: common in NE Victoria
Distribution: Northern Territory, Queensland, New South Wales & Tasmania
Additional notes: Faggot cases are a common site found around Australia, they're usually found hanging from Cootamundra wattle trees, attached on bark, variety of other wattle trees etc.
Granny Moth
(Dasypodia selenophora)
Color: dark brown all over body with 2 blue eye spots 1 on each forewing
Active period of Adults: Spring, Autumn & Summer
Status/distribution: common in Victoria
Grape-vine Moth
(Phalaenoides gllycinae)
Color: Black & White wings, with orange abdomen
Active period of Adults: Spring & Summer
Status/distribution: common in Victoria, also in NSW
Larval colour: black, white, yellow & orange markings
Larval food plant: Grape-vine plants