AGARISTINAE of Australia
Day-Flying Moths, Whistling Moths
NOCTUIDAE

AGARISTINAE moth pictures

Don Herbison-Evans ( donherbisonevans@yahoo.com ) & Stella Crossley

AGARISTINAE caterpillar pictures

Sometimes this is listed as a family AGARISTIDAE, but here, following Nielsen et al., we list it as a sub-family of NOCTUIDAE.

The Caterpillars of members of AGARISTINAE are distinguished by their bright colours, and their habit of feeding exposed in daytime. Many Caterpillars have a brightly coloured dorsal hump. The distinctive markings suggest that they are protected by warning ( aposematic ) coloration. The pupa is usually formed in the soil without a cocoon. The adults are called "Day Moths" because they fly in daylight hours. In this way they differ from most other moths. The adult moths themselves are distinctively marked in black and white, and may too be protected by aposematic coloration.

The 42 named Australian species in AGARISTINAE are:

Agarista agricola : Joseph's Coat Moth

Cruria epicharita
Cruria kochii

Cruria latisfascia
Cruria synopla

Idalima aethrias
Idalima affinis
Idalima leonora

Leucogonia cosmopis
Leucogonia ekeikei

Mimeusemia centralis

Periscepta butleri
Periscepta polystricta

Phalaenoides glycinae : Vine Moth
Phalaenoides tristifica

Platagarista macleayi

Radinocera maculosus
Radinocera vagata