Agrotis infusa
4 Bogong Moth, Common Cutworm at Jingera, NSW
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| Agrotis infusa | ibaird | 28 Sep 2026 | |
| Agrotis infusa | WendyEM | 28 Sep 2026 |
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Significant sighting
MichaelBedingfield noted:
30 Sep 2026
This is an important recovery event since the population of the species had dropped to very low numbers.
User's notes
Bogong Moth Migration Analysis using Captains Flat BOM radar:
https://ristoikonen.github.io/bogon/
9 comments
28 Sep 2026
there is a problem with the page. I think the 1st image is too big and covering IDs
28 Sep 2026
Hi WendyEM,
Cropped the image, didn't help much. Apologies, this was my very first posting...
Cropped the image, didn't help much. Apologies, this was my very first posting...
28 Sep 2026
no worries. It was a surprising new problem for me and I have been at this for a while.
29 Sep 2026
Two articles from ABC and The Guardian reporting the larger numbers of Bogong Moths migrating this year:-
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-09-28/bogong-moths-increase/107202604
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2026/sep/28/thrilled-huge-swarms-of-bogong-moths-surprise-nsw-residents-and-may-point-to-species-recovery
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-09-28/bogong-moths-increase/107202604
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2026/sep/28/thrilled-huge-swarms-of-bogong-moths-surprise-nsw-residents-and-may-point-to-species-recovery
29 Sep 2026
Judging from the scale and location of reports, and the numbers recorded from colleagues on the south coast, it appears that the majority of this airborne population ended up on the south coast of NSW. This is not unprecedented. It is still not clear whether these individuals ever find their way back to the aestivation sites in the mountain tops of the Dividing Range. Anyway it represents a big recovery of the Bogong Moth population following favourable breeding conditons in the inland and that the decision to nominate it as a threatened species in the Red Book were based on a poor understanding of its population dynamics. PS I only recorded one individual to light at my home south of Queanbeyan on that night. For more info see "New insights from old data: the complex migration and breeding patterns of the bogong moth, Agrotis infusa(Boisduval) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), in eastern Australia. Garry McDonald et al 2024 Austral Entomology. |
30 Sep 2026
There is also a good article from SBS news, visit: https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/bogong-moth-migration-australia-2026/p6jdonqa6
30 Sep 2026
Yes, I have not read the full paper, but the abstract alone challenges some well established understandings about Bogong moths
https://researchers.une.edu.au/en/publications/new-insights-from-old-data-the-complex-migration-and-breeding-pat/
but there is also this ongoing research by Prof Eric Warrant
https://friendsanbg.org.au/event/kim-pullen-more-treasures-insects-in-fens-and-bogs/
https://researchers.une.edu.au/en/publications/new-insights-from-old-data-the-complex-migration-and-breeding-pat/
but there is also this ongoing research by Prof Eric Warrant
https://friendsanbg.org.au/event/kim-pullen-more-treasures-insects-in-fens-and-bogs/
30 Sep 2026
Visiting, I witnessed roughly 50 moths circling trapped inside my mothers house at Mollymook on the coast, and easily a 100 more emerged from her cottage garden when she hosed it at the end of a hot breezy day, last 24 th / 25 th Sept. For the next 2 to 3 days we trod carefully because they kept coming and dozens died in and around the house.
Location information
- Coordinates 149.512018-35.661580
- Places Jingera, NSW
Sighting information
- > 10,001 Abundance
- 24 Sep 2026 06:00 PM Recorded on
- Risto Recorded by
- Less than 5mm Animal size
Collections
- Risto NatureMapr Canberra & Southern Tablelands Latest Agrotis infusa Significant Featured Noctuoid moths (except Arctiinae) Moths (Lepidoptera) Insects
Species information
- Agrotis infusa Scientific name
- Bogong Moth, Common Cutworm Common name
- Not Sensitive
- Migratory
- Non-invasive or negligible
- Up to 2159.76m Recorded at altitude
- External link More information
Record quality
Quality score
5 / 7
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- Verified by an expert moderator
- Description
- Additional attributes
- Nearby sighting(s) of same species
- GPS evidence of location