An Anthelid moth at West Hobart, TAS
Identification history
| Anthela (genus) | 7 Dec 2024 | donhe | ||
| Anthela (genus) | 6 Dec 2024 | VanessaC |
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25 comments
donhe
wrote:
7 Dec 2024
Looking at
http://lepidoptera.butterflyhouse.com.au/anth/anth-cats.html
that is a new Anthelid larva.
@VanessaC : please can you rear it to an adult moth to get an ID ?
http://lepidoptera.butterflyhouse.com.au/anth/anth-cats.html
that is a new Anthelid larva.
@VanessaC : please can you rear it to an adult moth to get an ID ?
VanessaC
wrote:
7 Dec 2024
I'm not at all sure I could find it again, and I know nothing about rearing moths. However, if I can find the plant it was on and someone in/near Hobart is able to rear it, I'm happy to arrange to either show them where the larva is or get it for them. Best I can do, I think.
donhe
wrote:
7 Dec 2024
Rearing is easy. You just need a clean jamjar and patience, see
https://lepidoptera.butterflyhouse.com.au/faqs/care.html
https://lepidoptera.butterflyhouse.com.au/faqs/care.html
VanessaC
wrote:
8 Dec 2024
Hi @donhe - I found the plant again quite quickly, and eventually found the larva. I have it in a jar and have followed the instructions on the website above. Fingers crossed....
VanessaC
wrote:
9 Dec 2024
It was on some kind of sedge but there was no sign of any of the leaves being eaten. I cut off some sections in case it would eat them but it hasn't eaten any in the jar. I have also put in a small wild rose which I lightly sprayed with water but it doesn't seem to be eating anything so far.
donhe
wrote:
10 Dec 2024
They have a diapause before each instar moult. Are the sedges in flower? Are there orchids or grass amongst the sedges?
VanessaC
wrote:
10 Dec 2024
Hi @donhe - I realised I have previously seen on eof these larvae on a silver wattle so I have given it some silver wattle leaves with a light mist of water and it is munching away happily. :)
VanessaC
wrote:
10 Dec 2024
I have just spotted several small red round things on the larva that I haven't seen before - is this some kind of parasite or disease?
VanessaC
wrote:
10 Dec 2024
I have added a photo above - can't get a very clear shot through the jar...
donhe
wrote:
10 Dec 2024
Yes those are parasitic mites. They are not necessarily fatal, but will deplete the strength of the caterpillar. Can you remove them with tweezers?
VanessaC
wrote:
11 Dec 2024
Caterpillar says nope. It's very sensitive to the tweezers on the tips of its hairs and curls inwards so I can't get to the mites. I tried approaching from both sides, so that I could get to the mites on one side while it was curled the other way but without success.
donhe
wrote:
11 Dec 2024
Try anaesthesia: put it in the fridge (5C) for a spell. That usually slows insects down.
VanessaC
wrote:
12 Dec 2024
I gave it some fresh silver wattle last night and it was feeding this morning when I got up. To come back to your question about what it was initially eating, I have a photo of the plant that it was on. There were a couple of other plants growing amongst it, which I can't identify at present. However, the plant was underneath a silver wattle so maybe the caterpillar fell out of the wattle?
VanessaC
wrote:
12 Jan 2025
(Hi @donhe - An update on this caterpillar. I managed to remove 7-8 or so parasites, but there were three I couldn't get (close to the head). Around that time the caterpillar started spending most of its time in the soil at the bottom of the jar and didn't seem to be eating. Last Sunday when I checked on it, I was alarmed to see two long brown drips on the inside of the jar and a smear or two. It looked like a pretty bad case of caterpillar diarrhoea. The caterpillar emerged from the soil while I was checking and shortly after went back under and that is the last I have seen of it. During the week, I've seen three mature mites on the inside of the jar and managed to get them all out. I am wondering if the caterpillar is dead. I haven't disturbed the soil but am feeling a bit pessimistic. Any idea what has happened?
donhe
wrote:
12 Jan 2025
The caterpillars of many species burrow into the soil to pupate. Yours might emerge in a fortnight or so, if the species has 2 generations per year. But some moth species have only one generation per year, so these typically hibernate as the pupa till next spring, then emerge as an adult next September or October. You just need to do a visual check every day, to see if it emerged yet. So this is where patience is required.
donhe
wrote:
12 Jan 2025
VanessaC
wrote:
12 Jan 2025
I just re-read your webpage on rearing moths, and see that expelling fluid is something that happens at pupation, so that's good to know.
Location information
- Coordinates 147.301850-42.885695
- Places West Hobart, TAS
Sighting information
- 1 Abundance
- 10 Dec 2024 08:06 PM Recorded on
- VanessaC Recorded by
-
Collections
Anthelid moths (Anthelidae) Moths (Lepidoptera) Insects VanessaC Tasmania NatureMapr
Additional information
- 25mm to 50mm Animal size
Species information
- Anthela (genus) Scientific name
- An Anthelid moth Common name
- Not Sensitive
- Local native
- Non-invasive or negligible
- Machine learning
- External link More information
Record quality
- Images or audio
- More than one media file
- Verified by an expert moderator
- Nearby sighting(s) of same species
- GPS evidence of location
- Description
- Additional attributes
