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Monopis icterogastra
A small banded moth holding it's wings close like a tube. Cream and white broken with dark brown to black. Note white head, dark collar, dark along inner costal margin?, outer margin should have mixed dark and light.
Attracted to lights at the local school.
About 10mm - These lay live young caterpillars ! http://www.lepbarcoding.org/australia/sp...
10 Comments
I forgot to add this shot is from the hind starboard quarter so that might influence apparent size and shape of patterns... thanks again!
Fabulous! Thanks Doc. I'll take that on board and keep digging for this one. It's great to see it through your eyes.
Yes, these variations are indeed very often seen and a nightmare for us IDer. OK, let's start from the head back to tail. This is just what I see, nothing more...!
The white patch behind the head looks being smaller in yours. The following dark band is broader in yours. The next white patch is quite a sharply bordered band with a "median angulation" in yours, in Icterogastra more triangularely shaped. The white band at the end/apex is broader and again more like a triangle in Icterogastra, whereas in yours is smaller in size and more "pinned". In addition I can see some striped forelegs in Icterogastra.
Just a description of what my eyes see, I do not know how variable these guys really are.
I thought some natural variation would cover the differences. The other images I can find seem to show variations. The other sp. that provides an option is M meliorella http://lepidoptera.butterflyhouse.com.au... but it seems even the experts have trouble telling the difference visually. Which parts of the pattern do you have the most problem with? Tail area?
Hmm, Mark, I am not sure. At first sight, it looks not bad, but when you look closer you see that some of the markings are different. What do you think?
Found it - Wool moth.
Thanks for the lead bayucca... see options in notes. :-) First option has the best range fit although all are possibly seen around here.
Good night!
Thanks Doc. It'll have to be tomorrow.. zzzz.
Isomoralla eriscota???
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:I...
Not really happy with this one, but I am not happy with all other Oecophoridae, which I guess it is, but I might still be wrong, so, please, verify, it is just a hint...