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

Buzara frontinus EREBINAE

Donuca lanipes CATOCALINI

Grammodes justa EREBINAE

Grammodes ocellata EREBINAE

GEOMETRIDAE

Luxiaria ochrophara ENNOMINAE

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

Eumelea rosalia OENOCHROMINAE

NOCTUIDAE

Agarista agricola AGARISTINAE

Cruria donowani AGARISTINAE

Cruria synopla AGARISTINAE

Eutrichopidia latinus AGARISTINAE

TORTRICIDAE

Mictoneura flexanimana TORTRICINAE

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 2 August 2024)