The vines Pycnarrhena novoguineensis and Hypserpa laurina (both Menispermaceae) are known as host plants.
(This is a live individual, but it was having an off day, by the look of things.)
Monday, 10 May 2010
Shiny!
The beauty of this fruit-piercing noctuid moth (Othreis iridescens) did not become wholly apparent until I saw it in full light. This is a Far North Queensland endemic, which, although it feeds on fruit, is not considered to be a pest. (And even if it were, you'd cut it some slack, wouldn't you?)
The vines Pycnarrhena novoguineensis and Hypserpa laurina (both Menispermaceae) are known as host plants.
(This is a live individual, but it was having an off day, by the look of things.)
The vines Pycnarrhena novoguineensis and Hypserpa laurina (both Menispermaceae) are known as host plants.
(This is a live individual, but it was having an off day, by the look of things.)
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17 comments:
Wow!!! I love the colors of this moth. Great photos.
What a beauty! Quite fiery looking in shot #3.
Very colorful.
Quite some moth, there. Snail.
Lovely.
Denis
Gorgeous colors and what a fantastic macro shot. Wow!
Nice shots Bronwen. I love your insect posts as they have topped up my knowledge of this neglected group of animals many a time. Your cicada story was great too. You are the bug master!
Worth getting out into the night for. Pity, though, they don't seem to like caravan park amenity block walls.
I probably should have posed it on a leaf or something, but it was raining. (Quelle surprise!)
It was an absolutely astonishing moth. I really had no idea about the colours at first. It was only after I took the pics that I got a name for the moth --- and 'iridescens' then seemed bleedin' obvious!
Russell, there's so much here. I'm glad I'm not on the coast, because then I'd be facing even greater biodiversity!
Tony, spoken like a true naturalist. Amenities blocks are usually the best place for insects. I figure that my concrete block house walls are close enough.
Saw the Butterfly Man of Kuranda at Qld Museum - hope to get there again before it closes. They say it is unlikely the will display this collection of butterflies, moths beetles in the future. Will look for this one in his collections - it is gorgeous!!
The Dodd Collection is spectacular! We had some of the cases on display when I worked at the Museum of Tropical Qld. Fantastic stuff.
Snail, perhaps you could help Barbara with identifying this one?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/barbara-h/4602910554/
NanaJude, I will have to sign up again for Flickr because I've lost my login.
In the meantime, my lovely books tell me Barbara's moth is likely to be Eudocima salaminia, which seem sto be quite a pest at times. It occurs in N and E Australia, as well as Asia and the W Pacific. (Ref: I.F.B. Common 'Moths of Australia'.)
Nice snaps there.
But at the risk of dragging you back to your speciality - have you seen the Museum Victoria argonaut shell paper yet?
http://rspb.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/early/2010/05/18/rspb.2010.0155
Worth a blog?
d
Thanks for that, D. Haven't been paying attention much lately! That argonaut work sounds really interesting. Love the idea of being able to watch them in the wild.
Because I no longer have access to Proc R Soc*, I'll contact the author and ask for a copy.
* Them's the breaks!
Absolutely gorgeous moth, Bronwen!
Fantastic! Thanks for sharing it. Keep doing so..
It's getting a little less mothy with the cooler weather here, but I'll keep my eyes open!
Eudocima iridescens (Lucas) ♀
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=108756649243083&set=a.107140389404709.7630.100003262452539&type=3&theater
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