Moth weekend in Canberra

On the weekend before last, I went to the Australian National Insect Collection, (part of CSIRO) at Black Mountain, in Canberra.
They had invited a group of professionals and some amateurs like me, to a weekend where we could meet other Moth-ers, and exchange notes, get to know eachother, and also, of course, have access to the "Collection".
Marianne Horak and Ted Edwards and Youning Su were there from ANIC, as well as Dave Rentz, a former CSIRO entomologist, and many other experts.

In addition to posing for a group photo, we also went to lunch at the Botanic Gardens (ANBG) Cafeteria, and I took a few "happy snaps".

John Landy, (former Governor of Victoria)
(facing camera, on left)
a keen amateur entomologist,
with Don Sands (close to camera, centre)
with the Kuranda "gang" of Entomologists,
Dave Rentz, Buck Richardson and Max Moulds

cabinets holding the ANIC Lepidopteran collection

some of the Library reference books

These Swift Moths are common at my place, in winter,
especially on wet nights.

Oxycanus dirempta specimens
showing variability between individuals

Specimens of a Butterfly from Asia
which has recently been recorded in Darwin
(males)
"Tawny Coster"

Specimens of a Butterfly from Asia
which has recently been recorded in Darwin
(females)
"Tawny Coster"

Post Script: Dave Rentz also has written about the Mothing weekend, with lots of nice photos as well.
http://bunyipco.blogspot.com.au/2013/07/mothfest-2013.html

Post Script 2: Len Willan sent me a Paper by Ted Edwards re two newly described species of Hepialids from the Kosciuszko National Park:  "Two new species of Oxycanus Walker (Lepidoptera: Hepialidae) from Kosciuszko National Park, one with a sub-brachypterous female" Edward D Edwards and Ken Green. Australian Journal of Entomology (2011) 50, 78–85:

I was particularly interested in the comments about weather and Oxycanus, as I have observed a very obvious weather-related pattern in their appearances at my place - they fly on rainy nights, especially, in May and June.

• Introductory notes on both new species:  "In this and other species of Oxycanus adult emergence is closely timed to weather fronts (Helson 1970; Common 1990) and this simplified the search for males."

• (Oxycanus oreades) Biology. Like other Australian species of Oxycanus the larvae and pupae live in tunnels underground and the adults emerge mostly on a single night, at a closely similar date each year and timed to coincide with the passage of a westerly or south-westerly weather front producing rain and a rapid drop in temperature.
• (Oxycanus oressigenes) Biology. The species has a similar general biology to O. oreades except that the female is fully winged. Adult females were found on 15 March 2009 and 6 March 2010 in daylight following or during rain resting on a dense sward of Poa costiniana accompanied by loose pupal shells, but almost all the males were taken at light in rain. O. oressigenes flies with the first rains after about the beginning of March, and into April if no suitable rain occurs during March.

So, my notes about the Swift Moths at my house appearing during rainy nights clearly fits a well-established pattern (of which I was blissfully unaware until today). Thanks again to Len Willan.

That all confirms the wonderful co-operation demonstrated amongst the "Moth-ers" of Australia, and the value of such gatherings as the ANIC Mothing weekend.

A new Moth - for me

As soon as I saw this hairy little moth, with its hairy legs pointing forward like this, I knew I had found something "new" for me. I went in search of similar Moth images on Don Herbison-Evans's Moths site. This was the closest I could find. It eventually led me on something of taxonomic merry-go-round.

Calliteara pura
my photo.

   This is clearly a similar beastie -
even if its colours are a bit different from mine.
It is clearly wearing similar "socks" as my specimen (above).
Both these specimens (above and below)
also have a prominent raised patch of hairs
in the middle of the thorax.

Calliteara farenoides (as per Don Herbison-Evan's site)
That photo actually is credited to
Buck Richardson from Kuranda.

Lee Freeman took this photo of me holding this hairy moth.
Note the prominent antennae with strong brown fibres
protruding on one side only (forward).
("pectinate antennae")

There is clearly some confusion about the identity (or naming) of these moths.
Don Herbison-Evans refers to his specimens as (variously) as Calliteara farenoides and
Calliteara horsfieldii and even mentions a former name of Dasychira horsfieldii. He freely acknowledges these ambiguities.

I sought assistance from Len Willan, who in turn sought advice from Ted Edwards, from the CSIRO Australian National Insect Collection.

• This is what is listed in the “Checklist” and labelled in ANIC as Calliteara pura.  There are problems with this name because Lucas’ description of C. farenoides fits the NQ species and not the SQ, NSW and Vic. species although he gave Healesville as the type locality.
  So judged on the holotype, as we must do, C. farenoides is a junior synonym of C. queenslandica and the name C. pura applies to the southern one. C. pura came from Brisbane where Lucas lived and this is more likely to be a correct locality and the description fits the southern one.  The type is absent from the SAMA but there is a specimen labelled by Lucas as “pura”.
  So this is Calliteara pura.
  Cheers,  
  Ted.

Rosslyn Beeby deserves a bouquet for the write-up of Ted's career and his AM award.