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Helicoverpa punctigera
About 18mm wingspan; a cream coloured thorax with dense fur and on femurs; some subtle speckled patterns on forewings; hindwings were white with black near trailing margin.
Under very bright lights at night near car dealers allotment.
In pic#2 it is actually off the ground and flying. (sony) These were the most numerous type at this location. Thanks to J for a clue on this. H.armigera is very rarely seen in Melbourne but H.punctigera is often seen here. The visual difference is a faint pale patch within the dark margin on H.armigera - non existent on H.punctigera. Armigera is a serious worldwide pest and has an ability to quickly build resistance to pesticides. Punctigera is also a pest to crops here but is apparently more easily controlled. Also called Native Budworm.
Thanks for that J. Glad you liked the blog. I tried to make it fun as well as informative. About the pale patch... that was in my notes and after comparing several shots I felt this one didn't have it.
If you see a very slight pale mark on the hindwing, it is likely to be H. armigera.
http://lepidoptera.butterflyhouse.com.au...
Yes, I certainly agree. http://www.flickr.com/photos/12639178@N0...
Sorry for the incorrect suggestion, I should have been more thorough. Fantastic blog for Australia day, by the way! I learned tons!
Thanks for that J. It lead me to a slightly better candidate (inho). Let me know what you think.
Please, confirm! There are several similar, almost identical species in this genus which also are found in your area. I would await confirmation before updating the ID.
Spotted on Jan 27, 2013
Submitted on Jan 28, 2013
+1
