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Endoxyla encalypti
"Endoxyla encalypti, the "wattle goat moth", is a large moth of the family Cossidae and is native to Australia. The forewings are speckled grey and brown with light and dark streaks. The hindwings are reddish brown, becoming grey brown at the margins." (Wikipedia) Looking very tattered and missing a limb, this specimen was spent. I doubt she would have survived the day. NB: This was a very large moth, and that's why I've selected E. encalypti as the spotting ID. It's single wingspan can reach up to 10 cms, and that seems realistic from my recollections. An almost identical species is E. lituratus, also commonly known as "wattle goat moth", but it's a smaller species with a wingspan of about 7 cms. If the information is correct, that's a considerable difference. http://lepidoptera.butterflyhouse.com.au... I wish now I had placed a common object next to the moth to give a sense of scale.
This car park and dock area is floodlit at night, so that really attracts the moths. There is also a wetland area nearby plus an abundance of native acacia species trees and shrubs, which the larvae feed on. "They initially bore into the trunks of their host plant, down to the roots. Full-grown larvae bore a hole in the soil, from the root up to the surface. Pupation takes place within this tunnel.... This species has been recorded along the eastern coast from Queensland through New South Wales and Victoria to Tasmania." (Wikipedia)
What I thought would be an easy spotting to identify turned out to be anything but. I looked at a number of sites and consulted my local reference books, to no avail. However, on my second attempt I came across the following site, and when I saw their photo I knew I was on the right track. Once I had a common name, the rest just fell into place. https://www.whatsthatbug.com/2011/11/06/...
6 Comments
Nah, she was done. More falling than revving.
Did you see it take off? They have to rev their wings up for about 20 seconds before pulling the levers back.
I'm surprised the bin was still standing. ;-)
Yes difficult to be certain about the ID. Pleased to see yours and mine look fairly similar then lol.
It was a big commercial wheely bin too! Almost crushed! Urban legends have to start somewhere, right?
Thanks, Mark. A first encounter for me. She was on the bin and I couldn't miss her. I was totally impressed by her size, but sadly she was in very poor condition.
Wonderful find.