Some Lepidoptera photos by
Ken Harris

Morwell National Park
Victoria

ANTHELIDAE

11: I came home from a walk in Morwell National Park on 8th April 2002 and found the caterpillar on the back of my neck. Its hairs were somewhat irritating. I had no idea what plant it was on, but the trees where I had been walking were mostly Eucalypts and Blackwoods. I placed it in a jar with some Eucalypt leaves and some Blackwood leaves. It accepted the Blackwood ( Acacia melanoxylum ) leaves. I kept it supplied with leaves for 3-4 weeks, which it ate regularly. The caterpillar grew to about 4 to 5 cm long. It then began to weave a cocoon, which was very hairy, as if the hairs from the outside of the caterpillar had been incorporated in the cocoon. It pupated inside the cocoon, which was attached to a Blackwood stem and leaves. The pupa inside was a dark chocolate colour.
Probably Anthela nicothoe

12: number 11 again
probably Anthela nicothoe

ARCTIIDAE

pupa and cocoon of
Spilosoma glatignyi

15: Thallarcha partita,
imperfect specimen, found on the ground on a track in Morwell National Park, 16 October 2004

CRAMBIDAE

Eurybela trophoessa

29: Hednota grammellus

28: Hednota opulentellus,

36: Deuterarcha xanthomela

Metasia capnochroa

9: Tipanaea patulella,
photographed in a salt marsh in the Gippsland Lakes in Victoria, 20 November 1993.

GEOMETRIDAE

0: unidentified caterpillar
possibly Oenochroma species
photographed on Hakea species
(probably Hakea lissosperma)
in Tasmania, 30 January 1982

1: unidentified moth,
possibly Scioglyptis species
ENNOMINAE,
photographed at Churchill, Victoria, 9 March 2002.

26: Epidesmia chilonaria

27: Phelotis cognata

16: Ectropis excursaria ?

31: Chrysolarentia insulsata

34: Chrysolarentia lucidulata,

Scopula rubraria

44: Dichromodes stilbiata

Monoctenia falernaria

30: Epyaxa hyperythra,

Oxyphanes thiobapta

Apodasmia rufonigraria

20: Chrysiphona ocultaria,

21: Chrysiphona ocultaria,
underside

22: Oenochroma vinaria,
caterpillar

HEPIALIDAE

25: Oxycanus antipoda

10: Trictena atripalpis
photographed in Churchill on 4 May 1993.

13: Oxycanus dirempta

14: Abantiades hyalinatus

17: Abantiades labyrinthicus

33: Abantiades labyrinthicus

HESPERIIDAE

35: Hesperilla ornata,

23: Ocybadistes walkeri

LASIOCAMPIDAE

24: Genduara acedesta LASIOCAMPIDAE

LYMANTRIIDAE

7: Iropoca rotundata,
photographed in the Victorian Alps, 5 November 1994.

NOCTUIDAE

5: Cruria synopla,
photographed in Sydney, 19 January 1988.

8: Persectania ewingii,
photographed on the Bogong High Plains, 8 November 1998.

18: Persectania ewingii

19: Persectania ewingii

6: Fodina ostorius,
photographed at the Den of Nargun Reserve on the MacAlister River, Victoria, 13 January 2001.

Praxis porphyretica

NYMPHALIDAE

32: larva of
Vanessa itea

40: Geitoneura minyas

OECOPHORIDAE

42: Myrascia bracteatella

41: Catacometes hemiscia

43: Periallactis monostropha

Stathmopoda cephalaea

PSYCHIDAE

2: Lepidoscia cataphracta,
live moth, length 1.5 cms, photographed on a stem of Carex appressa, Morwell National Park, 4 November 2001

39: Lepidoscia guildingi

PTEROPHORIDAE

Stenoptilia phaeonephes

PYRALIDAE

37: Gauna aegusalis

SPHINGIDAE

3: Agrius convolvuli
on Morning glory Ipomoea indica in Churchill, Victoria, 27 December 1989

4: Agrius convolvuli
caterpillar also on Ipomoea indica photographed in Churchill, Victoria, 26 March 1989,

TORTRICIDAE

38: Oxysemaphora notialis

38: Technitis oriarcha

and the following Caterpillar food plants :

  • Backhousia myrtifolia
  • Brachychiton discolor
  • Brachychiton populneus
  • Caesalpinia pulcherrima
  • Dichanthium sericeum
  • Eucalyptus caesia
  • Eucalyptus leucoxylon
  • Halgania cyanea
  • Hypericum calycinum
  • Lomandra multiflora
  • Macroptilium atropurpureum
  • Macroptilium lathyroides
  • Marsdenia rostrata
  • Marsdenia suaveolens
  • Melaleuca gibbosa
  • Parsonsia straminea
  •  
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    Don Herbison-Evans
    (donherbisonevans@outlook.com)

    (updated 15 March 2005, 22 January 2016, 20 December 2017, 13 February 2018)