Moths
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Discolor Noctuid Moth
 
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Narrow-eyedStripedNoctuid
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Erebus Moth - Erebus terminitincta

Family Noctuidae

This page contains pictures and information about Erebus Moths that we found in the Brisbane area, Queensland, Australia.

Wingspan 100mm
 
This is one of the largest moth we had even seen. The moth is dark brown in colour. It has two large eyespots on its front wings. 
 
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We saw this moth once during late summer in Yugarapul Park, while we were looking for dragonflies on Bulimba Creek. The moth was hiding at the overhanging bank of the creek. 
 
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The moth did not move a bit when we came very close. It flied and hided on another spot a few meter away when we touched it. It flied slowly with fluttering pattern.
 
 
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We found this moth again on Apr 2010 in Karawatha Forest. It was near a dry creek bed near Echidna Trail. It was disturbed while we walked along the creek. It flied to a few meters away and hided near the base of a large tree trunk. It flied and hided under a dense plants cover after we took a few photos.   
 
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Caterpillars are orange-brown to brown in colours. They feed on Lawyer Vine ( Smilax australis SMILACACEAE ). We did not found any caterpillar yet.
 
 
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Reference:
1. Moths of Australia - Ian F.B.Common, Melbourne University Press, 1990, p455, fig45.9.
2. Erebus terminitincta (Gaede, 1938) - Australian Caterpillars, by Don Herbison-Evans & Stella Crossley, 2011. 
 
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Last updated: December 08, 2011.