Flightless female moths of Australia
 
  
Don Herbison-Evans
(donherbisonevans@yahoo.com)
and
Stella Crossley

A number of species in various families of moths in Australia have brachypterous females: with either undeveloped or vestigial wings. Female moths have the extra weight burden, over male moths, of the eggs they are to lay. For species in some families this is accommodated by the females being larger than the males, as in Anthela species in ANTHELIDAE, most HEPIALIDAE and LASIOCAMPIDAE, and Lepidoscia species in PSYCHIDAE. But other species, some illustrated here, just save females the trouble of flying by not developing their wings sufficiently. These females 'call' for males to visit them by emitting pheromones. If a male does not come, for instance if you keep them indoors, they often lay (unfertilised) eggs anyway, like Chickens do.

ANTHELIDAE

Pterolocera amplicornis

Pterolocera rubescens

ARCTIINAE

Anestia ombrophanes

Anestia semiochrea

Phaos aglaophara

Phenacomorpha bisecta

CASTNIIDAE

Synemon plana

COSSIDAE

Catoxophylla cyanauges

Endoxyla amphiplecta

GEOMETRIDAE

Zermizinga sinuata

HEPIALIDAE

Oxycanus oreades

LYMANTRIINAE

Euproctis semifusca

Icta fulviceps

Iropoca rotundata

Lymantria antennata

Lymantria pelospila

Oligeria hemicalla

Orgyia anartoides

Orgyia athlophora

Orgyia australis

OECOPHORIDAE

Philobota xerodes

Philobota ES2

PSYCHIDAE

Cebysa leucotelus

Hyalarcta huebneri

Hyalarcta nigrescens

Lepidoscia arctiella

Lepidoscia lainodes

Lomera boisduvalii

Lomera species

Metura elongatus

ZYGAENIDAE

Pollanisus calliceros

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(written 6 April 2018, updated 23 July 2024)