Moths
 
NOCTUOIDEA 
  
NOTODONTIDAE
  
LYMANTRIIDAE
Brown Tussock Moth
Painted Pine Moth
White Tussock Moth 
 
ARCTIIDAE
Magpie Moth
Heliotrope Moth
Lichen Moth
Orange Spotted Tiger 1
Orange Spotted Tiger 2
Triangular Tiger Moth
 
AGANAIDAE
Yellow Tiger Moth
 
NOCTUIDAE
Transverse Moth  
Native Budworm  
CATOCALINAE 
ACRONICTINAE
Lawn Armyworm
Lily Caterpillar
 

                                               

Armyworm Moths, Cutworm Moths - Subfamily ACRONICTINAE - AMPHIPYRINAE

This page contains pictures and information about moths and caterpillars in subfamily ACRONICTINAE - AMPHIPYRINAE that we found in the Brisbane area, Queensland, Australia.
 
Caterpillar length  25mm
 
Caterpillars in this subfamily are called Cutworms and some called Armyworms. Cutworms live in soil surface. They bite off young plants at ground level and pull them into their burrow. Armyworms eat their way across like an army on the march.
 
The adults of this two subfamilies,  ACRONICTINAE and AMPHIPYRINAE, cannot not be readily separated from each other. Sometimes this two subfamilies are treated as one subfamily.  
 

 
Lawn Armyworm
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Spodoptera mauritia, body length 20mm
The adult moth is brown in colour with brown pattern on the forewings. They are common in Brisbane bush and garden. The moth is preyed on by Bird-dropping Spiders. Their eggs were laid on the painted wall of a house, as a hairy irregular mass. Their caterpillars are green when young and become brown in colour with two rows of black dots on  the back. There are more information and pictures in this page.
 
Lily Caterpillar Moth
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Spodoptera picta, body length 20mm
The caterpillars are known as Lily Caterpillar. They feed on garden plant Spider Lily Hymenocallis littoralis. The moth has a wingspan of about 40mm, brown in colour with a pattern on the fore wings. The hind wings are silvery white. Click here for more information and pictures.
 
 
Green Blotched Moth
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Cosmodes elegans, body length 20mm
We found quit a number of them in our backyard during early summer, but seldom see them in other season. This moths is easy to be identified. They are brown in colour with green patterns edged with white on their wings. When at rest on plants, they are not easily be noticed. The caterpillar is hairless and green in colour.
 
 
Bird-dropping mimicking Noctuid Moth
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? sp., length 25mm 
Pictures taken outside our house during mid summer. This moth mimics bird-dropping.
 

Up ] Transverse Moth ] Native Budworm ] Subfamily CATOCALINAE ] [ Subfamily ACRONICTINAE - AMPHIPYRINAE ]

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Last updated: April 21, 2005.