At Pukorokoro Shorebird Centre. Forewing length approx 14mm.
It's an Australian invasion! Photo 7 with a compatriot infiltrating Brown Cutworm for scale. Big long moth.
I note @sebastiandoak saw one first by a few hours: https://inaturalist.nz/observations/239360014
Titirangi, Auckland.
Zigzag Track, in Atkinson Park.
Can anyone help me solve this wee puzzle? Unusual warm spell across the lower South Island. First moth seen at home in a long time due to the cold, frosty winter nights.
Can anyone help me solve this wee puzzle? Unusual warm spell across the lower South Island. First moth seen at home in a long time due to the cold, frosty winter nights.
A bonus rarity walking back to Titirangi in the rain! Very nice. Hovering above the path, and then I think disoriented by either my headtorch or the LepiLED on UV mode, and landed. When flying I though it was giant pseudocoremia.
Pretty sure I came across a second one not too much further along, but couldn't catch it to make sure.
Unrelated, but there was also something just a bit further along like a tiny, orange, incredibly fast noctuid, which was clearly attracted to light, but I couldn't even follow it. I was trying to catch it for a couple of minutes before I lost track of it.
Beaten from vegetation; probably a dense bunch of Muehlenbeckia australis and Rubus schmidelioides, but could've been Kunzea...
length about 10 mm
On the dark, wet wall of the cave near the entrance.
John Child bryophyte and lichen workshop 2023.
AI gives Soybean Webworm Moth. It certainly looks similar, but as this species has not been uploaded to iNaturalistNZ before I'm just not sure.
I did some image overlays and don't think it's E. cyptasis or S. falsa. Ruled out E. illiota even though that looks really good as it has an extra white cross line around the terminal area making an obvious 'x', and this one absolutely doesn't have that.
Eudonia ustiramis looks better, but still not perfect, the dark markings on the Landcare photo are too thin/weak compared to this moth, and it also has a white 'x' in the terminal area. https://oldwww.landcareresearch.co.nz/__data/assets/image/0004/98212/Eudonia_ustiramis2.jpg
nearly a perfect match: https://oldwww.landcareresearch.co.nz/__data/assets/image/0005/73697/Crambus_ornatus_HT.jpg
if correct another new one for me
I've been staring at type photos, Larger Moths, and Hudson paintings.
The closest thing seems to be Eudonia periphanes....if all the details were to varying degrees wrong....wrong, like the colour (this is black and cream, without the brown), the cream lines at the shoulder are straight and pronounced (as opposed to barely there), the two spots at 2/3rds are extremely pronounced with a black margin (as opposed to non-existent to subtle), the cream line at 1/3 is on a notable sharper angle, etc.
It seems this is considered a morph of Eudonia periphanes as @ryan_nz has one: https://inaturalist.nz/observations/100926477 @nhudson @dr_robert
The AI gives Variable Yellow Underwing. Maybe?
Having observed a Variable Yellow Underwing and a Rhesalides curvata on the same night do I get extra Brownie Moth Points?
Resting on a large metal container.
Possibly? No previous observation on iNaturalist NZ?
Pupa in leafmine on Pseudopanax arboreus, emerged 24 Sep 2023. Note the magnificent rhinoceros-horn-like cocoon-cutter on the pupal head.
In coastal kopi forest
The highlight of my night at Trotter's Gorge!!! Was delighted. A rare species I was hoping would turn up after I noted a prior record from Brian Patrick and I also found the host plant mountain carrot (Gingidia montana) growing in the area. Two of them actually came to light and were captured but I only got one photo of the underside of the second individual (last image) before accidentally setting it free prior to its photo session! Never mind, delighted with the first one!
I've spent a couple of hours looking at iNaturalist, FNZ 80, Hudson paintings on Wikimedia Commons but still not sure what I've got here.
6th photo beside I. mutans
Weird H. rubophaga sporting a big M? @nhudson @dr_robert
@carey-knox-southern-scales found what looks to be the same one with the big M on Stewart Island/Rakiura: https://inaturalist.nz/observations/140134953 and @paddy18 in Dunedin: https://inaturalist.nz/observations/142423891
found by whacking silver fern fronds
X marks the spot! The highlight of the night was seeing this beautiful moth arrive 2.5 hours after the lights were turned on (lights on at 6 pm, moth arrived at about 8:30 pm). I didn't know they would be at this site and wasn't expecting them to be out at this time of year either. There must be some Streblus heterophyllus in the bush. Several photos of the moth and a few of my setup and the view at the end. Great spot! Yay!!! That is Meterana species number 22 for me (incl. the undescribed 'Urtica' one).
Location nonspecific.
Collected from in/beside UV light trap.
Location nonspecific.
Collected from in/beside UV light trap.
Location nonspecific.
Collected from in/beside UV light trap.
Location nonspecific.
Collected from in/beside UV light trap.
I hope this ID is right! If so a very exciting find.
Location nonspecific.
Collected from in/beside UV light trap.
On alpine tops. I think this is how this keys out, but I'm not entirely sure.
A tricky Ipana or Declana, so I was unsure. Thoughts? Came to light at about 3-4 degrees! A bit more background: I went to a public talk on lizards and invertebrates by Samuel Purdie in Cromwell and on my way through the Cromwell Gorge at 6 pm stopped and put out 2 UV lights (one as part of a heath trap and one on a white sheet). The two lights were about 30 metres apart. The habitat was mostly big old Olearia hectori shrubs - as I was hoping to maybe attract in a Meterana grandiosa. I didn't have high hopes of anything though, as it was only 3-4 degrees. However I thought I may as well let the lights do their thing whilst I went and listened to the talk. Came back to check the lights at about 9:30 pm and the Declana was the only moth that braved the cold conditions. Was sitting on the sheet. Other plants apart from the Olearia hectori was basically just matagouri, Coprosma propinqua, sweet briar rose, maybe some Melicytus alpinus, bush laywer, Muehlenbeckia complexa, native brooms, and Dracophyllum longifolium in the wider area.
Appeared to be flightless.
Not far from these other white flightless moths:
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/152040320
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/152040316
Drawn to light. Bit of a long shot. The reniform seems too strong for I. moderata and it lacks the dark clouds along the forewing subterminal line to be I. virescens.
Caught in a Heath trap. Ichneutica barbara?
Only briefly present, tiny moth (too small for me to see any features of it with the naked eye). One photo only.
Dark Pseudocoremia. I thought it looked most like modica, but happy to be corrected if not right
Dark Pseudocoremia. I thought it looked most like modica, but happy to be corrected if not right
not sure if just I. plena or something else.
attracted to mercury vapour lamp
Caught in mercury vapor lamp
Does anyone recognise this moth? I am not familiar with it and can't find a solid match.
extreme crop. Quite interested in what this minuscule one is. Should have stuck finger in a photo, but perhaps @possumsend can measure the links in the mesh sheet...
Hierodoris?
observed with @invertebratist
1 found in vicinity of Pimelea xenica
Fieldwork with @ lloyd_esler, @ predomalpha and @ fiestykakapo.
Attracted to lights at night.
Attracted by porch light at night. Larvae feed on the flowers of Melaleuca sp. (bottlebrush) - https://www.inaturalist.org/guide_taxa/352261 and
https://www.ars.usda.gov/ARSUserFiles/11988/prattdocs/74.pdf
This large Ichneutica (?) had me puzzled. The size, shape, and base colour appears similar to Ichneutica ustistriga, but the pattern is markedly different. I couldn't see a match based on a quick look.
I am not sure if this species is known from alpine areas, but it looks a dead ringer to the reference pictures. If this is wrong perhaps A. cedrinodes.. Here are the moths recorded during our survey for the 'Threatened-Nationally Critical' Kahurangi skink (Oligosoma kahurangi). Day flying plus one night. The weather only allowed for one night of mothing (strong winds and rain on the other nights). Nonetheless, some very interesting moths and I wish I could have undertaken another night or two.
In terms of moth uploads, I am currently 16 days (and A LOT of moths!) behind real-time. Only my 3rd day at home this December. So... we are still on my way up to Kahurangi National Park. Here is an interesting batch from a night at Lake Rotoroa (Nelson Lakes) in the beech forest and adjoining shrubland.
Interested in this one. I spent over an hour trying to match it to no avail! (sigh....). In terms of moth uploads, I am currently 16 days (and A LOT of moths!) behind real-time. Only my 3rd day at home this December. So... we are still on my way up to Kahurangi National Park. Here is an interesting batch from a night at Lake Rotoroa (Nelson Lakes) in the beech forest and adjoining shrubland.
caught in a Heath trap
Day-flying. Landed on window.
pushing the limits of a decent photo with a 1:1 macro. Don't know what. vaguely resembles the Hudson painting for https://inaturalist.nz/taxa/398126-Tinea-dicharacta, though less so the type https://web.archive.org/web/20100518135034fw_/http://landcareresearch.co.nz/research/biosystematics/invertebrates/lepidoptera/cgi-bin/bug.pl?1525012?19390.0000 - on black mould on beech.