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Project Noah Nature School
Australothis rubrescens
Moth about 24mm long. Hind wings seem mostly white with a dark patch near the outer margin, The actual margin is a fine band of white, pink, blue. Thorax looks to be creamy white fur. Antennae fine simple (F?)
Attracted to mercury vapour lights at the local school.
family: NOCTUIDAE
subfamily: Heliothinae
genus: Australothis
species: Australothis rubrescens
Found over most of Australia http://bie.ala.org.au/species/urn:lsid:b... plus Norfolk Island and a few records from New Zealand. Colours can vary from bright pink to tan to pale cream. Also a pattern of spots may become clearer or be absent. This one is at least as pink as any other images on the net but has little sign of the spots displayed on some others.
Here's a pale spotted version http://bie.ala.org.au/repo/1013/128/1286... and here's another tan coloured one http://bie.ala.org.au/repo/1013/128/1285...
Thanks to Stephen Thorpe again for this ID.
Spotted on Sep 2, 2013
Submitted on Sep 3, 2013
2 Comments
They come in many shades Martin. Check links above. But I'm starting to wonder if we are getting bright colours because these are early season versions.
That's a very nice find Mark. Rubrescens presumably means red but are they most often brown?