Moths (Lepidoptera)

Add a sighting Subscribe View significant View unidentified

Useful references:

CSIRO's Australian National Insect Collection (ANIC) - Australian Moths Online
Don Herbison-Evans web pages:
- Moths of Australia
- Australian caterpillars and their butterflies and moths

In the notes provided about individual species, semi-technical terms are sometimes used. They are briely explained below.

Labial palpi. These are paired appendages extending from the lower part of the head, on either side of the proboscis. They provide important information about the family of the moth.

Parts of a moth’s wing:

Costa: The leading edge of the wing

Inner margin: The trailing edge of the wing

Termen: The outer margin of the wing, connecting the costa to the inner margin

Apex: The leading tip of the wing, where the costa and termen meet

Tornus: The trailing corner of the wing, where the termen and inner margin meet

Cilia. Long hairy scales along an edge of the wing

Moths (Lepidoptera)

Anthelid moths (Anthelidae)

Case moths (Psychidae)

Concealer moths (Oecophoridae)

Curved-horn moths (all Gelechioidea except Oecophoridae)

Emperor moths (Saturniidae)

Geometer moths (Geometridae)

Hawk moths (Sphingidae)

Noctuoid moths (except Arctiinae)

Pyralid or Snout Moths (Pyralidae & Crambidae)

Sun moths (Castniidae)

Swift and Ghost moths (Hepialidae)

Tiger moths (Arctiinae)

Tortricid moths (Tortricidae)

Wood moths (Cossidae)

Other moths

Moderators

MichaelMulvaney

donhe

ibaird

DiBickers

WendyEM

become a moderator

Announcements

New priority species lists in the ACT

16 Mar 2025

Hello NatureMaprs!Three new priority species lists of exotic freshwater and terrestrial invertebrates, and vertebrates in the ACT have been added to NatureMapr. Uploading records of these species to N...

NatureMapr now receives more records in NSW than ACT

NatureMapr Data Collector 6.2.1 update

Critical nature positive infrastructure update

IMPORTANT NatureMapr Data Collector 6.2.0 mobile app update

Discussion

jb2602 wrote:

3 hrs ago

Thanks very much Ian and Don for identifying this little grey moth for me

Lichenaula onychotypa

ibaird wrote:

Yesterday

I' m not sure this is A. demistis. The shape of the forewing outer margin is not recurved, the moth has a dark thorax and a light coloured head. Lowerea (genus)?

Amelora demistis

ibaird wrote:

Yesterday

Well spotted Don, I think you are correct.

Anisogona thysanoma

ibaird wrote:

Yesterday

Stunning photos!

Epithymema incomposita

ibaird wrote:

Yesterday

A very worn Z. sinuata male?
://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/425348-Zermizinga-sinuata/browse_photos