Wattle Goat Moth at Gowrie, ACT
Identification history
| Endoxyla encalypti | 27 Nov 2019 | GlennCocking | ||
| Endoxyla encalypti | 25 Nov 2019 | ibaird | ||
| Endoxyla leucomochla | 25 Nov 2019 | donhe | ||
| Unverified | 24 Nov 2019 | BruceG |
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User's notes
24 Nov 19: Found this moth in our front garden. I was easily 90 mm long with a robust head-thorax-abdomen. Pronounced wing span of some 120 mm or more. Fine hairs to most of the body and a brown bony exoskelton at the rear of the head. Rich, red, brown, white, and grey colouring.
I'm guessing - maybe a Wattle Goat moth? Lepidoptera > Cossidae > Endoxyla encalypti
11 comments
donhe
wrote:
25 Nov 2019
Very like Donald Hobern's photo at
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dhobern/3240053202/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dhobern/3240053202/
BruceG
wrote:
26 Nov 2019
Does / did look very similar to the moth in Donald Hobern's photo (ie, Endoxyla leucomochla). Was beautifully mottled with white, grey, red / rust, and black on its wings. Diminished or no obvious mouth parts; and small eyes, or what I assume where eyes. Had a indistinct eye-marking in the middle of the wing. Interestingly, had a more pronounced head-thorax carapice than the one in Donald's image. If it was E. encalypti, wouldn't that make it a whittety grub moth? That would in turn mean it would have to feed on Acacia kempeana, or can they live in any wattle? Can't be too many Wittety Wattles in the ACT outside of the ANBG.
Also, not convinced of my wild guess at E. encalypti. The pictures are not a good match for what I saw. Is there a diachotomus key forCossidae?
Also, not convinced of my wild guess at E. encalypti. The pictures are not a good match for what I saw. Is there a diachotomus key forCossidae?
donhe
wrote:
26 Nov 2019
The pronounced brown thorax of CNM 4242981 seems likely to be due to loss of scales on the thorax, and is consistent with Donald Hobern's specimen being younger and less worn.
Both species feed on the roots of Wattles, and are probably not fussed over the particular Acacia species.
Both species feed on the roots of Wattles, and are probably not fussed over the particular Acacia species.
BruceG
wrote:
26 Nov 2019
I concur - Endoxyla leucomochla [https://bie.ala.org.au/species/urn:lsid:biodiversity.org.au:afd.taxon:1d5211e7-c146-4107-b837-c73629c7a920#overview].
Very sorry, but don't know the local Ngunnawal or Wiradjuri name for this beautiful moth.
Very sorry, but don't know the local Ngunnawal or Wiradjuri name for this beautiful moth.
ibaird
wrote:
26 Nov 2019
E. leucomochla is the classic ''Witchetty Grub' first formally described from inland SA and WA by Tindale (1951) as food of the local Indigenous people there known to feed on roots underground of Acacia species specifically A. kempeana (Witchetty Bush) and Small Cooba (A. ligulata), two wattle species which don't grow naturally in the ACT (see Common 1990), p. 271) E. encalypti is known as the Wattle Goat Moth mainly from the eastern seaboard of Australia recorded as feeding on the wood of Acacia sp generally including the roots. I expect this species would have been a food item for the local Ngunnawal people too. Both species are variable in appearance and generally similar so I think it often difficult to be dogmatic about either species based on their appearance alone. Both species have apparently been recorded in the ACT based on museum specimens ( I expect but don't know for sure). But based on the known ecology and geography E. encalypti seems most likely. This specimen is slender looking which I think favours E. encalypti but also shows russet colouration which is said to be indicative of E. leucomochla , but that could also be just due to wear. The curved white streaking on the forewing seems in general pattern unlike any other examples I can see online (ALA).
ibaird
wrote:
26 Nov 2019
BOLD Systems 4 shows E. encalypti records from NSW including two from the ACT. Bold Systems 4 shows E. leucomochla records from SA, WA and Victoria, but none from the ACT or NSW.
ibaird
wrote:
27 Nov 2019
It is sometimes suggested that a blue line is indicative of E. encalypti. I don 't know how extensive it is in categorically identified museum specimens of this or other species or whether perhaps is a sex-linked characteristic. It has been suggested it shows up better in photos, see sighting No 4227380, however it appears not all moths identified as E. encalypti show a blue line in photos or in set specimens. I had a look on Bold Systems 4 and it seemed to me only 2 out of 19 specimens shown there clearly showed a blue line. Therefore I don't know whether the presence of a blue line is useful in a diagnostic sense.
GlennCocking
wrote:
27 Nov 2019
E. encalypti is the common ACT Endoxyla species, it's boreholes and "sawdust" can be found around the bases of many old wattles.
Location information
- Coordinates 149.106628-35.409156
- Altitude 635.8m
- Places Gowrie, ACT
Sighting information
- 1 Abundance
- 24 Nov 2019 08:37 AM Recorded on
- BruceG Recorded by
-
Collections
BruceG Canberra & Southern Tablelands NatureMapr Endoxyla encalypti Wood moths (Cossidae) Moths (Lepidoptera) Insects
Species information
- Endoxyla encalypti Scientific name
- Wattle Goat Moth Common name
- Not Sensitive
- Local native
- Non-invasive or negligible
- Up to 912.9m Recorded at altitude
- External link More information
-
Synonyms
Xyleutes encalypti