Insects
Moths (Lepidoptera)
Other moths
Sighting 4352032

Lepidoptera unclassified IMMATURE

caterpillar or pupa or cocoon at Melba, ACT

Lepidoptera unclassified IMMATURE at Melba, ACT - 25 Oct 2020 08:29 AM
Lepidoptera unclassified IMMATURE at Melba, ACT - 25 Oct 2020 08:29 AM
Lepidoptera unclassified IMMATURE at Melba, ACT - 25 Oct 2020 08:29 AM
Lepidoptera unclassified IMMATURE at Melba, ACT - 25 Oct 2020 08:29 AM
Lepidoptera unclassified IMMATURE at Melba, ACT - 25 Oct 2020 08:29 AM
Lepidoptera unclassified IMMATURE at Melba, ACT - 25 Oct 2020 08:29 AM
Lepidoptera unclassified IMMATURE at Melba, ACT - 25 Oct 2020 08:29 AM
Lepidoptera unclassified IMMATURE at Melba, ACT - 25 Oct 2020 08:29 AM
Lepidoptera unclassified IMMATURE at Melba, ACT - 25 Oct 2020 08:29 AM
Lepidoptera unclassified IMMATURE at Melba, ACT - 25 Oct 2020 08:29 AM
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Identification history

Lepidoptera unclassified IMMATURE 2 Jun 2022 GlennCocking
Unverified 19 Oct 2020 kasiaaus

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User's notes

I'm quite sure these are moth eggs because they appeard on my fence the morning after I had a moth light on in that spot. The second photo is a few days later.

8 comments

donhe wrote:
   19 Oct 2020
You need to collect some, and rear them in captivity to get an adult moth, for identification.
kasiaaus wrote:
   19 Oct 2020
I'm not sure I know how to do that. I would need to know how to collect the eggs, what to feed the caterpillars and how to keep them. Hmmm...
donhe wrote:
   19 Oct 2020
Be creative. Maybe scrape some off gently, or if the wood is spare: chisel a thin slice with some eggs on. Keep in a closed container. When they hatch offer a mix of leaves each of gum, wattle, grass, other plants, some old wood with lichen on. See what they seem to nibble. More info at http://lepidoptera.butterflyhouse.com.au/faqs/care.html
kasiaaus wrote:
   24 Oct 2020
The eggs have hatched. They turned into tiny little loopers. Unfortunately they are not showing any interest in any of the food I have provided. I have tried two kinds of eucalyptus, two kinds of wattle, some grass (native, I think) and now I have emoved the eucalyptus and I gave them some rose petals, a rose leaf and a pansy flower. So far no interest. They are running around looking for something better.
donhe wrote:
   24 Oct 2020
Photos? Oh how frustrating. Keep trying: slice of apple, lichen, leaves of Proteaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Asteraceae, whatever other families you can find. Ian Common once said to me that caterpillars are much better botanists than we are.
kasiaaus wrote:
   25 Oct 2020
I have added photos. They photos not great but the caterpillars are so small that it was almost impossible to take them. The caterpillars are not eating but are still active. I have just changed their food. Thanks for any advice.
donhe wrote:
   25 Oct 2020
Being laid on a fence suggested they were Lichen eaters from Lithosiini, but clearly they are loopers, so probably from Erebidae or Geometridae. Looking at http://lepidoptera.butterflyhouse.com.au/geometridae/geometridae-eggs.html , no species there lays the eggs in a tidy array. However some of the species in http://lepidoptera.butterflyhouse.com.au/erebidae/erebidae-eggs.html , do lay in a tidy array. Many of those species will eat leaves from only one plant family, maybe one of the 158 listed in http://lepidoptera.butterflyhouse.com.au/plants/index.html . Discovering which one before the tiny caterpillars perish will be hard.
kasiaaus wrote:
   25 Oct 2020
I think I will have to release them :-(
It was worth a try :-)

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  • Less than 5mm Animal size

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