Oecophoridae provisional species 8

Jerrabomberra, NSW

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10 comments

   25 Feb 2021
There are yellow and black speciemns of E. ophiodes on Bold Systems 4 which look similar but the single example on iNaturalist and the ALA is white and black and there is no additional black 'collar' mark at the base of the forewing or a yellow head. Does ANIC have specimens which match this moth?
   25 Feb 2021
Yes. When I looked at the ALA photo, I wondered if it was an unusually heavily marked E. sigmophora, but when you look at BOLD bins there are two bins for these two species, and both have the orange with heavy black marks and the cream with lighter marks specimens. The implication seems to be that there are two species, but how to separate them on wing-pattern alone is unclear. A simpler guess, but without evidence, is that they are variations of the one specimens
   25 Feb 2021
This specimen differs from E. ophiodes in having an extra black band at the base, and the extension of the black costal line to the wingtip.
   27 Feb 2021
Thank you for pointing out the discrepancy between 3868630 and 3851167 on the one hand and 4372962 (undoubtedly E. ophiodes) on the other - ie the two former moths have a yellow band across the thorax whereas E. ophiodes has a plain black thorax with the black scales extending variably onto the thorax. I originally though the extra yellow band would be variation, but cannot not find it in any specimens or photos of E. ophiodes, E. sigmophora or other similar looking Eulechria species (ie E. habrosema, epimicta and undecribed). I couldn't find anything else closely similar elsewhere in Eulechria. Philobota sophia does have the yellow band across the thorax in some specimens and some close similarities in the dark forewing lines, but also clear differences in pattern. So 3868630 and 3851167 are either a "new" variation in E. ophiodes (seems unlikely) or something else entirely.
   27 Feb 2021
Going off on a tangent, the description of E. sigmophora refers to the "S shaped streak" on the forewing, and the description of E. ophiodes differentiates it from sigmophora on the basis of the ground colour of the forewing and of the hindwing.
   27 Feb 2021
I note the Victorians are holding firm that the 'white' Eulechria is E. ophiodes.. See
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/66512317
   27 Feb 2021
Is the 'white' E. ophiodes in BOLD in a separate bin from the yellow ones?
   27 Feb 2021
That's covered in the above second of this lot of comments
   27 Feb 2021
Right: so I suggest that the pale one in BOLD is E. sigmophora misidentified in ANIC, and just taken along for the ride by BOLD.
   28 Feb 2021
That's certainly possible. These things take some effort to track down, as BOLD doesn't always retain the original ANIC placement of a specimen, but identifies it separately.

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  • At least 1 Abundance
  • 20 Oct 2018 05:46 AM Recorded on
  • Wandiyali Recorded by

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