Translate

Sunday 27 March 2022

Now It Is Small White Moths

 We have recently had literally a plague of small black carabid beetles, Gnathaphanus philippensis (Chevrolat), attracted to lights at localities along the coast from Port Douglas south to Innisfail. I did a post about these beetles in 2011, see:  https://bunyipco.blogspot.com/search?q=Gnathaphanus. It seems that they appear in huge numbers every 11 years or so. The beetle is not an Australian native but occurs naturally in south Asia. They are exceptionally abundant and cause concern to businesses because ther beetles are attracted to lights at night. They do not seem to cause any damage. It is their numbers that concern the general public.

Gnathaphanus philippensis (Chevrolat)

In the past few days a small moth has appeared in considerable numbers around lights in Kuranda. It is in the family Erebidae (formerly Arctiidae), subfamily Arctiinae. It is Chamaita barnardi (Lucas). As far as I know, the larvae have not been discovered. The moths may be associated with the flowers of the tree, Elaeocarpus bancroftii, the Kuranda Quandong.  The trees are in heavy flower at the moment. Male moths measure about 5.0 mm in length while the females are slightly larger at 6.5 mm.

A group of Chamaita barnardi on a Heliconia leaf.
A worn individual illustrating the translucent wings with the colours largely faded.
The brown colour markings are largely faded.
Front-on view showing the antennae with the hairy basal segments. This individual is less worn than the others.


2 comments:

Insect Identifications said...

very fulgoroid-like
Graham B.

Jessica Lucas said...


The new report by Expert Market Research titled, ‘Global Anti-static Film Market Report and Forecast 2022-2027’, gives an in-depth analysis of the global Anti-static Film Market, assessing the market based on its segments like materials, applications, end-uses, and major regions. The report tracks the latest trends in the field and studies their impact on the overall industry market. Applications of anti-static film in industrial operations, such as the storage and shipment of electronic and industrial metal parts and machinery, are expected to augment the market growth. The anti-static film market is growing due to the increased use of packaging solutions for electronic goods to protect them from physical damage during transportation and increased import-export activity. The major players in the market are Achilles Corporation, Toyobo Co., Limited, Mitsubishi Chemical Holdings Corporation, Klöckner Pentaplast Group, Wiman Corporation, and Nan Ya Plastics Corporation, among others. Expert Market Research have 500+ analyst team that provide our clients A+ services. We are providing expansive industry data and help them in formulating market and business strategies for our clients. For more information about our services. You can visit our website.