Phalaenoides tristifica

Willow-herb Day-moth at Rendezvous Creek, ACT

Phalaenoides tristifica at Rendezvous Creek, ACT - 16 Dec 2018
Phalaenoides tristifica at Rendezvous Creek, ACT - 16 Dec 2018
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Identification history

Phalaenoides tristifica 7 Jan 2019 ibaird
Phalaenoides tristifica 7 Jan 2019 donhe
Periscepta polysticta 6 Jan 2019 RogerF
Unidentified 6 Jan 2019 jmcleod

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User's notes

Not sure whether to categorise this by butterfly or March Fly (?)! Caught my eye when a butterfly appeared to fly past without flapping its wings... snapped the shot when it landed, but didn't realise it was a March Fly or similar carrying the butterfly until I looked at the photo.

3 comments

ibaird wrote:
   7 Jan 2019
Identification of the moth relies largely on a view of the underside of its wings with no clear view of the whole of underside of the hindwing and only a partial view of the underside of the forewing. Looking at the underwing patterns for likely species on the Lepidoptera Butterfly House website, I'm not sure the specimen has white markings characteristic of P polystica on the hindwing underside sufficient to rule out P. tristifica- although I stand to be corrected!
michaelb wrote:
   7 Jan 2019
Hi jmcleod
Thanks for your contribution/photo. I have downloaded the original photo, cropped it and added it back to aid in identification.
The fly is a Robber Fly. Close ups are invaluable.
donhe wrote:
   8 Jan 2019
The white spots along the margin of the hindwing underside are inconsistent with P. polysticta, and only consistent with Phalaenoides tristifica.

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Location information

Sighting information

  • 1 - 3 Abundance
  • 16 Dec 2018 03:00 PM Recorded on
  • jmcleod Recorded by

Additional information

  • 12mm to 25mm Animal size

Species information

Record quality

  • Images or audio
  • More than one media file
  • Confirmed by an expert moderator
  • Nearby sighting(s) of same species
  • GPS evidence of location
  • Description
  • Additional attributes
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