flying low and hiding among the foliage; about 10 species are well
known. _Termissa shepherdi_, slightly over 1 inch across the wings, has
the fore pair broad at the tips, is blackish brown, with 3 irregular
yellow transverse bars; the hind pair yellow, with two rounded marks on
the outer margin. _T. nivosa_ is a smaller moth of a delicate creamy
white, with the front and outer margins of the fore wings delicately
edged with dark yellow and black, and with two indistinct spots on the
front margin; there is a small dot on each hind wing. Anderson says
about Melbourne the larvae are to be found under the bark of gum trees
in August. _Clauca rubricosta_ measures 1 inch across the wings; is
of a general blackish tint with the palpi and collar behind the head
dull red, a slender costal stripe of reddish yellow along the fore
wings, and a yellow spot on the centre of the inner margin forming a
distinctive mark when the wings are folded; the hind pair are pale
yellow with dark edges. The Genus _Mosoda_ contains several moths whose
larvae feed upon moss and lichens on the surface of the rocks about
Sydney. _Mosoda anartoides_, under 1 inch across the wings, has the
fore pair dark brown, delicately mottled; the hind pair dull orange
yellow irregularly edged with brown. _M. consolatrix_, a smaller moth,
has the fore wings greyish mottled brown; the hind pair pale buff. _M.
jocularis_ is slightly smaller, pale buff yellow; the fore wings tipped
and speckled with black and the outer tips of the hind pair clouded
with brown. The Genus _Comarchis_ contains 8 described species, all
small moths; _C. aspectatella_ is under 1 inch across the wings, the
fore pair grey barred with yellow, and the hind pair pale ochreous; it
is common in January on Mt. Kosciusko; _Eutane terminalis_ and _Asura
lydia_ are two little black moths thickly mottled with dark orange
yellow forming bars and spots on the fore wings; the hind wings of the
former are yellow in the centre, thickly margined with black; in _A.
lydia_ the yellow of the hind wings is divided in the centre by a black
band. The larvae feed upon moss. The larvae of the Speckled Footman
(_Deiopeia pulchella_) feed upon the forget-me-not; it is of a bright
leaden colour, with a white stripe down the back and red spots on the
sides of the segments. The moth has a very wide range over the world,
and has probably spread from Europe. I have generally taken these moths
on the grassy flats close to the sea shore; it is a slender winged
creamy white moth, the fore wings mottled with black and red spots,
and the hind pair irregularly edged with black. _Nola metallopa_ is a
silvery grey moth with the fore wings marked with darker coppery tints.
The curious hairy larva feeds upon the foliage of young gum trees; when
it moults the skin of the head remains attached to the hairs above the
head, forming a regular crest.
The members of the small family HYPSIDAE, chiefly found in the tropics,
are represented in this country by 4 genera containing about 18
species. They differ from the last in the venation of the hind wings,
and are medium sized brown or yellow moths.
_Nyctemera amica_ is one of our commonest species with a wide range
from Victoria to Queensland; it may be found flying about or resting
on flowers at all times of the year. The larvae, marked with black
and red and furnished with tufts projecting on either side of the
head, feed upon the “native ivy” (_Senecio scandens_). The moth is of
a general blackish brown tint; the fore-wings are mottled with two
irregular pale yellow blotches forming a transverse bar toward the
tips; each of the hind pair has a more regular blotch in the centre.
[Illustration: =Figs. 118, 119= and =120=.--Life
history of _Nola metallopa_ (Walker).
The Seedling-gum Moth.
118. Moth. 119. Larva. 120. Pupa.]
Family 11. Brown Tails.
LIPARIDAE.
These are the “Tussock” moths of America, and the “Vapourers,”
“Brown-tails,” and “Black-arches” of English collectors; some of
ours are known as “Bag-shelter moths” from the curious silken bags
the gregarious larvae spin, in which they shelter during the day and
come out at night to feed upon the foliage. The typical “Brown-tails”
are stout, thickset moths with rather long hairy fore-legs generally
stretched out in front when resting; the antennae are pectinate in both
sexes, and the abdomen is tipped with tufts of downy hairs; in some
species the females are wingless. They lay their eggs in clusters on
the under-side of the leaves, covering them over with a felted mass of
the hairs from the tip of the abdomen.
The famous “Gypsy Moth,” common in Europe, belongs to this group; it
was introduced into the State of Massachusetts, where it has multiplied
so enormously that it has become a regular plague, and though hundreds
of thousands of dollars have been spent in fighting it, it is still
a serious pest. _Porthesia obsoleta_, one of our typical species,
measures about 1½ inches across the wings, and is pure white with a
black body tipped with golden brown hairs. It was described by Donovan
in 1815 in his “Insects of New Holland,” and is more common in Victoria
than New South Wales. _Trichetra marginalis_ is a moth with a wingless
female; the male is a little larger than the last species; is of a
uniform greyish brown colour, with the outer edges of the fore wings
white, and the hind pair pale brown. The larva feeds upon the foliage
of gum trees.
[Illustration: Plate XXV.--LEPIDOPTERA.
Family PSYCHIDAE.
1. _Entometa ignoblis_ (Walker). Cocoon of Faggot
Case-moth.
2. _Entometa ignoblis_ (Walker). Cocoon made with
Cherry stalks.
3. _Thyridopteryx herrichii_ (Westwood).
4. _Metura elongata_ (Saunders).
5. _Thyridopteryx hubneri_ (Westwood). Cocoon made
of gum leaves.
6. _Thyridopteryx hubneri_ (Westwood). Cocoon made
of pine needles.]
[Illustration: _Plate XXV.--LEPIDOPTERA._]
The Genus _Teara_ contains over 20 named species of the “Bag-shelter
Moths,” with gregarious larvae. _Teara contraria_, one of the largest
species, measures up to 2½ inches across the wings; it is of a general
dark brown tint with a small white spot in the centre of each wing;
the thorax thickly clothed with long lance-shaped plumes yellow at
the tips; and the abdomen rich orange yellow barred with black. The
caterpillars are thickly clothed with long hairs, and when they take up
a position on the branch of their food tree (generally a eucalypt or
wattle) they spin a silken bag, drawing the leaves and twigs together,
but not acting like the “Leaf-rollers,” for the silk forms a regular
felted brown covering which soon becomes full of their excrement and
cast skins, among which they rest during the day. They trail
out at night in a regular procession and often strip all the foliage
of the tree. When full grown they crawl down the trunk and pupate
in loose open cocoons (formed from their body hairs) buried in the
ground, and the large liver-coloured silken bag remains long after they
have deserted it. This species in some districts makes its home upon
wattles, but in other localities attacks the eucalypts in a similar
manner. _Teara tristis_ is not more than 1¼ inches across the wings,
and varies from blackish brown to silvery grey; the fore wings are
marbled with white and yellow and a light circular spot in front; the
hind ones are nearly black with a minute white spot in the centre; the
head and thorax are grey; the abdomen black, barred and tipped with
orange; it is common in Victoria and N.S. Wales, generally clinging
to some low bush, and slow and sluggish in its movements. _Teara
melanostica_ is larger than the last; silvery grey, spotted, with the
front edge and transverse bar black; hind wings yellow edged with
brown; head and thorax silvery white, hind portion dark brown; abdomen
barred, and tipped with yellow. The larvae feed upon the leptospermum
bushes, and form soft loose cocoons. _Ptilomacra senex_ is a large
handsome moth about 3 inches across the straight, square-cut fore
wings; is of a general dark brown colour with wavy irregular dark lines
and scattered grey scales giving it a greyish tint. It is remarkable
for its large feathery antennae.
[Illustration: =Fig. 121.=--_Apina callisto_
(Doubleday).
The day-flying cut-worm moth.]
_Apina callisto_ is a brightly mottled yellow and brown moth that flies
about in the daylight. Its curious hairy larvae feed upon the open
grass lands, and are often very numerous. It has a wide range over
Australia.
_Chelepteryx collesi_ is one of our largest bat-like moths, measuring
to 6 inches across the wings; it is of a uniform dark brown colour
with an irregular marbled pattern upon the wings; but it varies much
in size and pattern in the sexes. Where common they may be often seen
fluttering round the street lamps in the suburbs of Sydney, N.S.W.
This handsome moth was first taken to England by a Mr. Colles, after
whom Grey described it (Trans. Ent. Soc. 1835). The caterpillars are
great, reddish brown creatures, thickly clothed with stout spiny
bristles, feeding on the small white stemmed eucalypts, and often found
crawling over the rocks and fences. They spin long silken cocoons, and
as they pupate force all the body spines through the silk, making the
cocoon a very awkward thing to handle, for the fine spines are easily
detached, and sticking into the fingers cause a very unpleasant itching.
[Illustration: =Fig. 122.=--_Nyctolemon orontes_
(Linn.).
The great day moth of the Queensland scrubs.
(Original drawing, W.W.F.)]
The Genus _Darala_ is peculiar to Australia; about 30 species have been
described; their larvae are short, thick, black, hairy caterpillars
often found crawling about in the gardens, and constructing soft fluffy
or white silken cocoons attached to the foliage. _Darala ocellata_,
one of our commonest species, measures 1½ inches across the wings,
and is of a uniform brownish fawn colour, with two black spots in the
middle of the fore wings and a pattern of spots or parallel black lines
in the central portion. _Darala acuta_ is slightly larger, with very
variable markings upon a general greyish fawn to dull yellow ground;
the fore wings are broad with an acute point at the extremity. The
Wattle-moth, _Teia anartoides_, which in the larval state often appears
in the orchards and destroys the apple-tree foliage, is sometimes
very abundant. The larvae are short brown hairy grubs with a tuft of
hairs standing out in front on either side of the head, and several
stiff brushes of grey hairs upon the centre of the back. The males are
much smaller than the females, and in the pupal state when hanging
up in their loose flimsy cocoons can be easily distinguished. The
adult female is wingless, simply crawling on to the top of her cocoon
to lay her eggs and die. The male is a handsome little moth about
1 inch across the wings; the fore pair are dark brown marbled with
slender lines and black spots, the hind pair bright yellow surrounded
with black, and the outer edges yellow; the antennae are large and
feather-like.
[Illustration: =Fig. 123.=--_Ocinara lewinae_
(Lewin) and Caterpillar.]
_Ocinara lewinae_ is a handsome light reddish brown moth with darker
lines running round the wings. It was described by Lewin in 1803, who
figured it in colours and called it the “Hook Tip.” The larva is a
slender caterpillar covered with fine hairs. They are gregarious, and
web the leaves of the eucalypts together with a loose, open, silken
strand.
Family 12. Silkworm Moths.
BOMBYCIDAE.
In this group I include several families that may be broadly placed
together as typical silkworm moths. Some writers divide them into three
families; Packard on the other hand adds a number of other well defined
groups, such as the Psychidae, Arctiidae, and others, to the Bombycidae.
Typical silkworm moths have thick heavy bodies, with small heads
furnished with pectinate antennae and an imperfect mouth; the wings
are large and often falcate. The larvae are usually fleshy thickset
caterpillars covered with scattered tubercles, and are of somewhat
sluggish habits; but all form stout silken cocoons. Our silkworm moths
are more closely related to the Atlas moths of India, Saturnidae, than
to the silkworm moth of domestic fame, _Bombyx mori_, which,
originally a native of China, is now bred and cultivated in many parts
of the world for commercial silk.
_Bombyx trimacula_ measures 1¾ inches across the wings; it is a dark
brown moth, mottled and marbled with white on the head, thorax, and
tip of the abdomen, and forming a delicate wavy pattern across the
fore wings interspersed with some blackish markings; it is found in
Victoria. _Odonestis australasiae_ has been known under many different
names: Lewin called it _Bombyx nasuta_, and his specific name was much
more appropriate than the former, as it has the head produced into
a regular point in front. The larger female measures about 2 inches
across the wings, which are of a uniform dull reddish brown colour
with faint markings on the fore wings; the hind ones are of a lighter
tint. The short hairy caterpillars have a tuft of hairs standing out
on either side of the head; in their natural state they feed upon the
foliage of the black wattle, forming white silken cocoons, attached to
the plant. It is sometimes called the “Long-nosed Wattle Moth,” and
in Victoria is said to turn its attention to the apple-tree foliage.
_Pinara despecta_ is a large, handsome, reddish fawn moth, with fore
wings ornamented with several zig-zag bands across the centre. It is
a thickset moth, often measuring over 3 inches across the wings. The
larva feeds upon the foliage of the eucalyptus, and is a very slender
caterpillar of a general greyish brown tint, with the sides of the body
fringed with fine downy hairs, and when it is resting the fringes lie
along the twig so closely that it is very hard to detect. It spins a
large silken cocoon tinted with pink, attached to the leaves of the
gum trees. _Cosmotriche exposita_ is a pretty little thickset moth of
a uniform greyish brown tint, covered with fine soft downy hairs round
the body and hind wings; the fore pair are thickly mottled with dark
brown; the larger female measures about 1½ inches across the wings;
the smaller male is a much darker brown insect with fine mottled
fore wings. The caterpillar feeds upon the foliage of the “she-oak”
(_Casuarina_), and is a slender greyish creature lightly clothed
with grey hairs, marked with yellow and carmine on the sides of each
segment, and black marks on the back. It forms an elongate oval cocoon
attached to the twigs.
The second group, NOTODONTIDAE, are known as “Prominents” to English
collectors from the curious angular form of the caterpillars, though
this is not noticeable in our typical forms. The Banksia Moth, _Danima
banksiae_, was named by Lewin after its food plant, though it feeds
equally upon the Hakea bushes. It is a very handsome moth, nearly 3
inches across the wings, which are of a general slate brown tint;
the thorax and tip of abdomen are thickly blotched with white, which
is also sprinkled over the body and fore wings in the form of little
white scales; the central portion of the abdomen is orange yellow. The
caterpillar is a rather slender, cylindrical, ochreous brown creature
with the tip of the body lead colour, and the whole surface irregularly
blotched with white spots encircled with black, forming irregular
bands round each segment. They are generally found feeding in groups
of three or four, and when disturbed turn both the head and tip of the
abdomen over the back, and protrude two red fleshy filaments from the
under-surface of the first segment.
The SATURNIDAE are our most important group for size and colour, and an
immense fellow, _Coxinocera hercules_, is found in Cape York. Another
very beautiful Chinese species, _Attacus cynthia_, which feeds on the
foliage of _Ailanthus glandulosa_, has been accidentally introduced
into Australia, and is sometimes taken about the Sydney gardens.
[Illustration: =Figs. 124= and =125=.--Life history
of the Australian Silkworm Moth.
124. _Antheraea eucalypti_ (Scott). Moth and Cocoon.
125. Caterpillar.]
The Genus _Antheraea_ contains some of our finest moths; others are
found in Japan and India that yield a strong brown silk. Our commonest
species, _Antheraea eucalypti_, is variable both in colour and size,
ranging from delicate fawn to dull brick red, and is from 4 to 5½
inches across the wings, which in the male are smaller and narrower
behind; each wing is ornamented with a circular eye-spot in the
centre, those on the hind pair being larger and ringed with black, with
narrow irregular dark bands running round or across the hind margin.
The tip of the fore wings in the smaller males is rounded, corrugated,
and touched with pink. The large green caterpillar, covered with
scattered tubercles tipped with clusters of retractile red and blue
spines, feeds upon the foliage of eucalypts, but has acquired a taste
for the foliage of the cultivated pepper tree (_Schinus mollis_). It
constructs a stout, hard, dark brown cocoon in which it pupates, and
is furnished with a curious spine at the base of the fore wings, which
enables the moth to cut her way out through the tough cocoon when
ready to emerge. _A. helena_, very similar in general appearance to
the former, is slightly larger, with broader wings of a more uniform
reddish brown colour, without a white mark on the fore wings; the
inner bands are more irregular and rounded, with the parallel bar
not continued into the hind wings. _A. simplex_ is a smaller species
varying in colour from pale yellow to reddish brown, with smaller
eye-spots, those upon the hind wings somewhat oval, broadly marked
along the costal nervure; the parallel bar and band on each hind wing
are very narrow, and both pairs are wrinkled at the tips. The black
and yellow caterpillars are very common at times in the Richmond
and Clarence River scrubs, N.S. Wales, and more gregarious in their
habits, often covering the bushes with their light coloured rather
flimsy cocoons, which are very subject to the attacks of ichneumons.
_A. janetta_ is about the same size as _A. eucalypti_, but with
flatter broader wings of a much duller reddish brown tint without
any eye-spots, and only a simple white spot in the centre of each of
the fore pair; two fine irregular lines run round the outer half of
both pairs with an extra row of small spots along the hind wings. The
larva forms a hard shell-like cocoon on the trunks of the she-oaks.
_A. loranthiae_, described by Lucas from North Queensland, is a large
handsome reddish moth, the larvae of which when pupating form their
cocoons in a mass on the top of a stump or branch.
Family 13. Loopers.
GEOMETRIDAE.
In this family there are a number of handsome delicate moths with
slender bodies, large flattened wings often toothed round the edges,
which when the insects are at rest (usually upon the under surface
of leaves) are pressed flat and spread out like a fan against the
surface. The caterpillars are slender cylindrical creatures, green or
brown in tint and so imitative of the twigs or foliage among which
they feed, that it is possible to pick off a branch upon which a
caterpillar is resting without observing the creature until it moves;
they are furnished with the usual six legs on the thoracic segments
close behind the head, and two pairs of abdominal legs near the anal
claspers, so that they have legs at each end, and when moving along
they draw the hind portion of the body up to the head before the front
legs are moved: thus at every step forward the body is arched up into
a semicircle, from which habit they are popularly known as “Loopers.”
The best method of collecting the moths and their caterpillars is by
beating or shaking the low scrub in the early morning; and the latter
are very easily bred in captivity if supplied with material from their
food plants. These moths are well represented in Australia; most of the
earlier species have been described by Walker and Guérin (Proc. Linn.
Soc. N.S.W.). Meyrick has classified and described a great number of
species of this family in a series of papers entitled “A Revision of
Australian Lepidoptera,” which the student will find in the volumes
dating from 1886 to 1891.
The Genus _Euchloris_ contains a number of beautiful moths with
delicate pale green wings frequently marbled with white lace-like
tracery. Meyrick (Proc. Linn. Soc. N.S.W. 1887) lists 43 species; and
Lower, in his “Catalogue of Victorian Heterocera,” published in the
“Victorian Naturalist,” lists 15 as Victorian species; but some of
these have a wide range.
_Euchloris submissaria_ measures about 1½ inches across the outspread
wings; its general colour is rich deep green, with the antennae, front
margin of each fore wing, outer edges of both pairs of wings, a central
stripe on the thorax and body, and the legs creamy buff white. The
caterpillar is of the usual cylindrical form, varying from dull buff to
light brown, and it feeds upon the foliage of the black wattle.
_Crypsiphona occultaria_ measures nearly 2 inches across the wings, and
is of a uniform light greyish brown on the upper surface, very finely
banded in irregular circles; but the under surface is pearly white,
spotted on the fore wings with black, crimson and brown; the hind ones
are banded with brown and crimson. It has a very wide range, and has a
habit of resting against weather-worn posts and walls, its outspread
wings matching the colour of its surroundings. The larva feeds upon the
foliage of the gum trees, and is of a uniform dull green tint, striped
down the sides, the head pointed in front; the whole caterpillar looks
wonderfully like a eucalyptus twig.
The Genus _Selidosema_ contains a large number of cosmopolitan
species; Meyrick lists 29 species as Australian; they are usually grey
or brown with darker lines and blotches. _Selidosema lyciaria_ is one
of our largest species, measuring about 2 inches across the wings;
is of a uniform brownish grey, with both pairs of wings marbled in a
regular pattern with black and chocolate brown, and crenulated round
the edges. The larvae feed upon the black wattle, and vary much in
colour, from grey to dark brown; the head is curiously notched, and
there are two little projections upon the back by which they can be
easily identified. _S. excursaria_ has a range from S. Australia to
N.S. Wales, and is one of our commonest species; it measures 1½ inches
across the wings, and is of a uniform dull greyish tint, very finely
pencilled with darker transverse markings, but is somewhat variable in
colour. The caterpillars are of a general light brown colour, with the
sides pencilled with fine parallel white lines running down the whole
length of the body; they are said to feed upon a number of different
plants, but are common on the wattles. _S. canescaria_, slightly larger
than the last, has a dull grey tint, thickly mottled with dark brown
wavy lines; it ranges from S. Australia to Queensland. Another species,
_S. acaciaria_, is a little larger, of somewhat similar colour, with
whitish markings; it is common in this country, and is also found in
India, Ceylon, and S. Africa.
[Illustration: =Figs. 126= and =127=.--The Marbled
Looper.
126. _Lophodes sinistraria_ (Guérin) ♂.
127. _Lophodes sinistraria_ ♀.]
_Lophodes sinistraria_ is slightly over 2 inches in the large females;
the sexes vary much in size and colour. They are of a general dark
chocolate brown tint blotched with grey along the front of the fore
wings, with a distinct row of short grey stripes round the hind wings
in a line with the dentate crenulations. It has a wide range over
Victoria and Eastern Australia. The larvae feed upon the foliage of the
black wattle, but I have also recorded them damaging the foliage of
young apricot trees. They are reddish brown caterpillars, covered with
transverse bands of darker coloured spots, and they measure about 1½
inches in length.
The Genus _Thalaina_ contains 5 described species, all of which are
very handsome moths easily separated from the other loopers. _T.
clara_ measures 1½ inches across the wings; it is of a uniform pearly
white, with the fore wings marked with regular transverse bands of
reddish brown forming the letter W when viewed from the side; the hind
pair have only a blackish blotch on the outer edge. It has a wide
range, and in the larval state feeds upon wattles. _T. inscripta_ is
about the same size, with a similar ground colour of white, but the
markings on the fore-wings form a less perfect W, and there is a row
of short bars of the same colour round the edges; the hind pair are
more deeply blotched. It has a wide range from Tasmania over the south
and eastern portion of Australia. _Gastrophora henricaria_ is a large
handsome moth, in which the sexes differ both in size and colouration;
the smaller brown male has bright orange hind wings, and very fine
feathered antennae; the female has the fore wings mottled but not
striped. The slender dark brown striped larva, according to Anderson
(Victorian Naturalist 1902) feeds upon the foliage of eucalyptus.
Family 14. Cutworm Moths.
NOCTUIDAE.