Sighting 4633957
A cosmet moth at Melba, ACT
Identification history
| Macrobathra (genus) | 1 Jan 2025 | ibaird | ||
| Macrobathra (genus) | 1 Jan 2025 | kasiaaus |
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8 comments
kasiaaus
wrote:
1 Jan 2025
Another confusing one. I think this is Macrobathra bigerella but we seem to classify it as Macrobathra baliomitra. I can't even find Macrobathra baliomitra on BOLD but it's there on ALA with most of the images from NatureMapr. Hmm...
kasiaaus
wrote:
1 Jan 2025
What are the differences between Macrobathra baliomitra and Macrobathra bigerella?
ibaird
wrote:
1 Jan 2025
I agree M. bigarella and M. baliomitra are challenging to distinguish. I try to go to respected identifiers eg D. Hobern, M. Hewish et al etc for reference IDs to use as references. I tend to think M. baliomitra has more rakish, off-white 'swept back' banding at the anterior end and is likely to show more white on the head than M. bigeralla. Whereas M. bigerella tend to have more vertical clear white banding more narrow at the anterior end-and more likely to show clear black colour dorsally between the first and second bands. I don't know of any published 'key' to Macrobathra (genus).
I note that Bold Systems 4 does not seem to show M. bigarella records from the ACT - although I expect it does occur here.
I wasn't so confident this moth fitted my idea of M. bigeralla because the first white band seemed much reduced and looking from above there is a clear black gap in all four white bands when viewed from above along the dorsal line. I’m happy to add M. bigarella to the Canberra and Southern Tablelands taxonomy.
I note that Bold Systems 4 does not seem to show M. bigarella records from the ACT - although I expect it does occur here.
I wasn't so confident this moth fitted my idea of M. bigeralla because the first white band seemed much reduced and looking from above there is a clear black gap in all four white bands when viewed from above along the dorsal line. I’m happy to add M. bigarella to the Canberra and Southern Tablelands taxonomy.
kasiaaus
wrote:
1 Jan 2025
Thanks Ian. I wonder if all the NatureMapr M. baliomitra sightings are definitely M. baliomitra. If so, this one is probably M. baliomitra as well.
DianneClarke
wrote:
2 Jan 2025
@donhe I have been trying to work out some Macrobathra. Following Ian's comment above, I looked at Macrobathra baliomitra on LBH and the 2 examples look quite different from each other. Are they both correct?
ibaird
wrote:
2 Jan 2025
Dianne, yes. The second M. baliomitra photo (by Bron) on LBH has a clear black gap bteween the two first white bands dorsally, like this moth in this sighting, but Bron's moth also has a clear white patch half way along each antennae which this moth here lacks.
ibaird
wrote:
2 Jan 2025
I note Bold Systems 5 has 98 records for M. bigerella, apparently the largest number for any Macrobathra species. See here:-
https://portal.boldsystems.org/result?query=%22Macrobathra%20bigerella%22[tax].
https://portal.boldsystems.org/result?query=%22Macrobathra%20bigerella%22[tax].
donhe
wrote:
Yesterday
I think the most observable difference between M. baliomitra and M. bigerella is that the basal white band on M. baliomitra is tinged with brown.
Location information
- Coordinates 149.050294-35.208565
- Altitude 593.0m
- Places Melba, ACT
Sighting information
- 1 Abundance
- 31 Dec 2024 09:32 PM Recorded on
- kasiaaus Recorded by
-
Collections
kasiaaus Latest Curved-horn moths (all Gelechioidea except Oecophoridae) Moths (Lepidoptera) Insects
Additional information
- 5mm to 12mm Animal size
- Alive / healthy Animal health
Species information
- Macrobathra (genus) Scientific name
- A cosmet moth Common name
- Not Sensitive
- Local native
- Non-invasive or negligible
- Up to 1422.3m Recorded at altitude
- Machine learning
- External link More information
Record quality
- Images or audio
- More than one media file
- Verified by an expert moderator
- Nearby sighting(s) of same species
- GPS evidence of location
- Description
- Additional attributes
