Cryptic Snout Moth
Ventral
Ellura
Cryptic Crest Moth
Female, profile
 
                      
Cryptic Crest Moth (Brachycyttara crypsipyrrha)Class: Animals (Animalia) - Jointed Legs (Arthropoda) - Insects (Insecta)
Order: Butterflies & Moths (Lepidoptera)
Family: Tiger Moth (:Noctuoidea Erebidae)
Species: Cryptic Crest Moth (Brachycyttara crypsipyrrha)
This Photo:     Female, dorsal

General Species Information:
Found on Ellura (in the Murray Mallee, SA) and elsewhere
A very rare moth, originally only found in WA. MoV8 reports it has since been discovered in SA (once), Vic (once) & NSW.
The 1st thing we noticed about this moth was the irregular "gold" line running laterally near the back of the forewing. It's not so obvious with the camera and turns out to be a pale line with orange highlights, giving it an illusion of "gold".
~18mm long with a wingspan of ~35mm.
The males have many more lines along the trailing edge of the forewing (outer margin), but both have filiform (thread like) antennae.
The forewings are scalloped along the outer margin and have 3, equally spaced, lateral, pale lines spattered with orange flecks. The shape of the palps is also quite unusual.
The hindwings have a spot in the middle. It's not obvious unless you look for it.
The antennae base and legs joints are all highlighted by orange scales. Those at the antennae base almost look like coloured eyelashes

Copyright © 2018-2024 Brett & Marie Smith. All Rights Reserved. Photographed 21-Jun-2018
This species is an Australian Native Species, not listed in the SA Murray Mallee Survey of 2010.