Some larger Moths of Australia which rest HEAD POINTING DOWN

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

A number of Australian Lepidoptera rest with their head pointing down, which seems upside-down to us. The ecological benefit of this odd behaviour is usually unclear and still a puzzle.

ADULT MOTHS

head down micro-moths

EREBIDAE

Donuca lanipes CATOCALINI

Grammodes justa EREBINAE

Grammodes ocellata EREBINAE

GEOMETRIDAE

Chrysolarentia argocyma LARENTIINAE	Chrysolarentia chrysocyma LARENTIINAE	Chrysolarentia conifasciata LARENTIINAE	Chrysolarentia correlata LARENTIINAE
Chrysolarentia heliacaria LARENTIINAE	Chrysolarentia insulsata LARENTIINAE	Chrysolarentia perornata LARENTIINAE	Chrysolarentia symphona LARENTIINAE
Chrysolarentia vicissata LARENTIINAE	Melitulias oriadelpha LARENTIINAE	Adeixis inostentata OENOCHROMINAE	and Eumelea rosalia OENOCHROMINAE

NOCTUIDAE

Agarista agricola AGARISTINAE

Cruria donowani AGARISTINAE

Eutrichopidia latinus AGARISTINAE

LARVAE and PUPAE

GEOMETRIDAE

Dysphania numana GEOMETRINAE

The advantage of this behaviour for this species is that the pendulus larvae are easily mistaken for catkin flowers.

Australian butterflies

Australian Lepidoptera

Australian moths

head-up micro-moths

Australian micro-moths

moths in GELECHIOIDEA

(written 6 February 2024, updated 11 March 2024)