Scopula optivata at Conder, ACT

Varied Wave at Conder, ACT

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Identification history

Scopula optivata	13 Aug 2017	ibaird
Scopula optivata	12 Aug 2017	ibaird
Scopula perlata	12 Aug 2017	ibaird
Unidentified	12 Aug 2017	michaelb

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Author's notes

Conder, ACT

4 comments

ibaird wrote:

12 Aug 2017

I suggest S. perlata (Cream Wave). The ALA shows records for Victoria and NSW, but not the ACT. However, Moths of Victoria (Vol. 3) says S. perlata occurs in 'urban areas' and the ACT, where '...alpine species' show a pinkish colouration, however, to my eye, a pinklish colour is not very evident in this specimen.

GlennCocking wrote:

13 Aug 2017

I'll go for Scopula optivata, or nearby unnamed sp. It seems identical to a specimen that I have here from Black Mountain. I believe perlata has a more distinct bend in the hindwing termen than optivata, and the photos show a hindwing more like optivata. The series of pictures here demonstrate the difficulty of interpreting base colours in a photo - each photo has a different background, and the moths come out as cream, brown or grey (roughly speaking)

ibaird wrote:

13 Aug 2017

OK, I wondered about the hindwing, being rounded without a slight apex in the termen which many labelled online as S.perlata seem to have. Is that what you mean? Sometimes when I look it does look slightly pink though! I'm happy to defer to your judgement on this.I didn't consider S. optivata, but I'll have a look now if I can find one online.

ibaird wrote:

13 Aug 2017

Yes S. optivata does look like a better bet. There are also other ACT records of optivata in addition to your own (e.g. Donald Hobern at Aranda)

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