Australothis rubrescens
Indian Weed Caterpillar at O'Connor, ACT
Identify this sighting
| Australothis rubrescens | ibaird | 18 Dec 2020 | |
| Australothis rubrescens | donhe | 15 Dec 2020 | |
| Heliocheilus (genus) | ibaird | 15 Dec 2020 |
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User's notes
Attracted to UV light at night (50w Gecko).
3 comments
15 Dec 2020
This sighting looks similar to CNM Sighting No. 4360858. See the detailed discussion there. It has been suggested that this moth may be Heliocheilus cistella however that species occurs primarily in NE tropical Australia. In this specimen there is a very faint black spot anterior to the prominent dark 'reniform' mark in the forewing, although its very faint in this specimen compared to Sighting No. 4360856. I have not been able to find live photos of H. cistella online to compare this sighting or Sighting 4360858 with.
18 Dec 2020
I agree with this as the most likely identification. The moths in the ACT that this species can most easily be mixed with are Helicoverpa armigera as they can be quite red, and Helicoverpa punctigera as some A. rubrescens aren't red/pink. The criteria that Matthews uses to differentiate them are genitalia structures and spines on the foretibia. The glimpse of a yellow abdomen helps with this specimen - the Helicoverpa have a grey abdomen (and so do some A. rubrescens).
Location information
- Coordinates 149.113309-35.259570
- Altitude 585.8m
- Places O'Connor, ACT
Sighting information
- 1 Abundance
- 14 Dec 2020 10:58 PM Recorded on
- ibaird Recorded by
- 12mm to 25mm Animal size
Collections
- ibaird Canberra & Southern Tablelands NatureMapr Australothis rubrescens Noctuoid moths (except Arctiinae) Moths (Lepidoptera) Insects
Species information
- Australothis rubrescens Scientific name
- Indian Weed Caterpillar Common name
- Not Sensitive
- Local native
- Non-invasive or negligible
- Up to 736.6m Recorded at altitude
- External link More information
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Synonyms
Heliothis rubrescens (IFB Common 1990 cited in Moths of Australia, MUP)
Record quality
Quality score
6 / 7
- Images or audio
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- Verified by an expert moderator
- GPS evidence of location
- Description
- Additional attributes
- Nearby sighting(s) of same species