Can you identify this sighting?
Identification history
| Hydroptilidae (family) | 19 Oct 2025 | WendyEM | ||
| Gelechioidea (superfamily) | 16 Oct 2025 | ibaird | ||
| Unverified | 16 Oct 2025 | TimL |
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User's notes
This insect initially looked like a tiny ant foraging on the vastness of a footbridge handrail. It was running around and around in very small circles and did this for some time. When it eventually stopped, I took some images before it began the circling behaviour again. The insect turned out to be one of the smallest moths I’ve seen, at less than 5mm overall length. Unsure as to type of moth. Concealer?
3 comments
WendyEM
wrote:
16 Oct 2025
maybe it is one of these https://inaturalist.ala.org.au/taxa/177738-Hydroptila
https://bie.ala.org.au/species/https://biodiversity.org.au/afd/taxa/b0da9007-acf0-4230-b655-524412adcb54#gallery
whatever it is, it is a stunning record!
https://bie.ala.org.au/species/https://biodiversity.org.au/afd/taxa/b0da9007-acf0-4230-b655-524412adcb54#gallery
whatever it is, it is a stunning record!
Sighting information
- 1 Abundance
- TimL Recorded by
-
Collections
TimL NatureMapr Canberra & Southern Tablelands Caddisflies (Trichoptera) Other insects Insects
Additional information
- Less than 5mm Animal size
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