Brown-marbled Geometrid
S6, Female, Hindwings
Ellura
Brown-marbled Geometrid
S6, Female, ventral
 
                      
Brown-marbled Geometrid (Lophosticha psorallodes)Class: Animals (Animalia) - Jointed Legs (Arthropoda) - Insects (Insecta)
Order: Butterflies & Moths (Lepidoptera)
Family: Geometer (:Geometridae Ennominae Nacophorini)
Species: Brown-marbled Geometrid (Lophosticha psorallodes)
This Photo:     S4, Male, ventral

Thank you Marilyn Hewish for identifying this species for us

General Species Information:
Found on Ellura (in the Murray Mallee, SA) and elsewhere
While we got to genus with these, we couldn't quite assign the correct species. When Marilyn kindly id'ed them for us she said "S6 is obvious. The others are trickier." In her determination she used the marbled background on the forewings (plain with distinct fine lines in S1), the line shapes and the distinctly banded cilia, dark-brown and white.
As a general mothing guide; she also said "wing shape, size and the antennae" need to match. "Forewing cilia, thorax markings, hindwing, underside, can be helpful". Once these are in place, Ted Edwards of the ANIC told her "Follow the lines." By this he means "Trace the shape of each line." Marilyn notes in MoV5, colour forms are not gender based.
"Cilia" refers to the trailing forewing scales (along the termen).
These moths are ~12mm long, with wingspan of ~32mm. The males & females we measured are about the same size. Males have bipectinate antennae; female's are filiform. The hard-to-see upper body is brown (nearly orange) striped. Hindwings are white with an indistinct fuscous trailing band. NB: the scalloped edge (termen) of the hindwing. Ventrally, the body white with dark flecks and a slight ochre tinge darkening toward the posterior. Under the hindwing, there is a vague dark line preceding the terminal dark edge. There also seems to be an ochre patch or line under the forewing (we only managed to see the edge of it).

Copyright © 2018-2024 Brett & Marie Smith. All Rights Reserved. Photographed 17-May-2018
This species is an Australian Native Species, not listed in the SA Murray Mallee Survey of 2010.