Soybean Looper

Description:

This attractive Noctuid moth (not a geometrid as the common na'me suggests) was about 22mm long with tented-up wings. The thorax and legs had dense brown setae. Arising from the thorax was a dense brush-like plume of setae and smaller tufts wewre seen along the back. The wings had beautiful brown patterns along the margins, while most of the wing was a shimmering olive-green. Eyes were prominent and antennae swept back.

Habitat:

These moths were first spotted in Australia in 1976. They now appear well settled here ! The larvae are pest both to agriculture and horticulture. They feed on several species of plants - potato, soy bean, sunflower and parsley. http://bie.ala.org.au/image-search/showS...

Notes:

I apologise for the flash in the last photo. This moth, like many others, was attracted to bright lights in a car yard and was high-up on the windscreen making it difficult to accurately capture the colours. You can see lost scales on the car... It has one synonym Diachrysia aurifera and is also commonly called "Slender Burnished Brass" Family: Noctuidae Subfamily: Plusiinae