Plutella xylostella
Diamondback Moth at Melba, ACT
Identify this sighting
| Plutella xylostella | donhe | 18 Feb 2025 | |
| Plutella xylostella | ibaird | 18 Feb 2025 | |
| Plutella australiana | WendyEM | 18 Feb 2025 | |
| Plutella (genus) | kasiaaus | 17 Feb 2025 |
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11 comments
18 Feb 2025
the specimens of Phalangitis crymorrhoa on https://bold-au.hobern.net/specimens.php?taxid=324308 lack the banding on the antennae. Moth above lacks the speckled appearance of the forewings of P. crymorrhoa. Specimens of Plutella australiana vary in intensity of their markings https://bold-au.hobern.net/specimens.php?taxid=535400 While faint, the distinctive pale marking along inner margin is discernible. This sp has banding of their antennae and forewing fringe. 2 toned labial palpi - fawn above white below see https://bold-au.hobern.net/specimen.php?processid=PHLCB173-11 Several specimens also show the line of brown dots along the inner margin. It looks like Plutella australiana was proposed/accepted in 2013.
18 Feb 2025
Thanks @WendyEM . I think we have been putting Plutella australiana under Plutella xylostella which appears to be a higher taxonomic level. A complex.
18 Feb 2025
I thought this one was too light in colour to fit the Plutella xylostella complex but clearly not :-)
18 Feb 2025
Plutella australiana Landry, J.-F. & Hebert, P.D.N. 2013. Plutella australiana (Lepidoptera, Plutellidae), an overlooked diamondback moth revealed by DNA barcodes. ZooKeys 327: 43–63 [48]. sadly we can't barcode our photos. https://biodiversity.org.au/afd/taxa/Plutella_australiana As I am Victorian I find this distribution map interesting.
18 Feb 2025
It does not seem to like Victoria, hahaha? What I am wondering though is if most of our moths under Plutella xylostella are in fact Plutella australiana and if we should keep them all merged under Plutella xylostella since we can't really tell the difference.
18 Feb 2025
I've not worked out how to separate it from Plutella xylostella visually so sorting it to a complex solves that problem. Except for the symbols on NM pages - is it native or introduced?
18 Feb 2025
Is nthere much sorting required or do we just renameas P. xylosrella complex and continue forward?
Location information
- Coordinates 149.050290-35.208575
- Altitude 593.0m
- Places Melba, ACT
Sighting information
- 1 Abundance
- 14 Feb 2025 08:54 PM Recorded on
- kasiaaus Recorded by
- 5mm to 12mm Animal size
- Alive / healthy Animal health
Collections
- kasiaaus NatureMapr Canberra & Southern Tablelands Plutella xylostella Other moths Moths (Lepidoptera) Insects
Species information
- Plutella xylostella Scientific name
- Diamondback Moth Common name
- Not Sensitive
- Exotic
- Non-invasive or negligible
- Up to 760.4m Recorded at altitude
- External link More information
Record quality
Quality score
6 / 7
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- Verified by an expert moderator
- Nearby sighting(s) of same species
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- Description