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Order Lepidoptera
- This page contains pictures and information about Wood Moth and Goat Moth - Family
Cossidae that we found in the Brisbane area, Queensland, Australia.
-
- Moths in the family Cossidae are from large to very large size. They have
long and narrow wings like those of Hawk
moths. They are mostly brown or grey in colours. Most have the inverted
"U" shape on thorax. When rest, they held their wings roof-wise. The adult moths in this
family do not feed so their mouth parts are largely reduced.
-
- Caterpillars in this family are living or dead trees borer. They live,
feed and pupate inside the wood. When emerge, they leave the empty pupal
case sticking out of the hole on tree trunk. Those caterpillars are smelly
so their other common name Goat Moth.
-
   - Empty pupal shell found near the base of a large She-oak tree (Casuarina
sp.).
- Goat Moth
-
- 160mm wingspan, Endoxyla affinis (Xyleutes affinis),
Zeuzerinae
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The moths have long narrow wings and are mostly dark grey in colour. There are the dark patch on
forewings and dark lines on each side of thorax. Pictures taken near Bulimba Creek in Wishart bushland on Nov 2008.
The moth was resting on a large fig tree trunk. The right forewing was
damaged and the moth seemed not like to move very much. When disturbed, it
drop onto the ground and played
dead. It walked back onto the tree trunk a minute later. More
information can be found in this page.
-
- Reference:
- 1. Moths of Australia
- I. F. B. Common, Melbourne University Press, 1990, p267.
- 2. COSSIDAE
of Australia - by Don Herbison-Evans & Stella Crossley,
2008.
- 3. A
Guide to Australian Moths - Paul Zborowski, Ted Edwards, CSIRO
PUBLISHING, 2007, p91.
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