Thursday 18 June 2009

June Moths

Winter is here and the moths have been few and far between. Here are a few that have landed on the porch wall. I may be insane, but not insane enough to sit under the clothes line observing a sheet slowly absorbing moisture from the cold night air! :-) My sheet and light have been packed away until September or October, depending on weather conditions.


No.1 Oxycanus antipoda again
Hepialidae


No. 2. I suspect this might be Tortricopsis species.
It was approximately 1cm in length.
Oecophoridae : Oecophorinae

UPDATE: I've been checking this moth again and I think it could be a species of Tortricid as the palps are projected directly in front of the head rather than sickle-shaped and/or upturned as with some Oecophorids.


No. 3. Capusa species - propably Capusa senilis again.
Geometridae : Ennominae



No. 4. This moths flopped in front of me as I was stalking fungi.
It could either be Psilosticha mactaria or Philotis cognata. I am
leaning towards the former because of the scalloped hindwings, which
is characteristic of Psilosticha mactaria.
Geometridae: Ennominae

UPDATE (11/1/11) this moth is identified as Ectropis fractaria.

2 comments:

Denis Wilson said...

Hi JL
I am so glad you posted the second image - for I have just seen an identical moth. But unlike you, I had not yet worked out what it might be. I will post my images tomorrow. I also have Oxycanus moths still. Donald says mine are Oxycanus dirempta
Two other sps, not yet worked out.
.
I find it interesting that the Moths of Robertson like cool, wet weather. I guess they have adapted to our climate here.
.
Cheers
Denis

Junior Lepid said...

Looking forward to having a look at your moths, Denis.

I'm interested in the winter fliers. I photographed Oenochroma vinaria on the wing in August, 2006.

I had quite a large fawnish moth come to the porch light the other night, but it wouldn't settle, so I have no idea what it was. It may have been Fisera perplexata.

It seems some Geometrids don't concern themselves with the cold! We've been getting frosts down here, too.