Cutworms, Armyworms and Semi-Loopers - Family Noctuidae >
The Caterpillars of NOCTUIDAE are usually smooth, or with very little hairs. They are from small to large size. Most are active at night.
- Semi-looper Caterpillar
Some NOCTUIDAE caterpillar are called Cutworms, some
called Armyworms and some called Semi-loopers. Cutworms live in soil surface.
They bite off young plants at ground level and pull them into their burrow.
Armyworms eat their way across like an army on the march. Semi-loopers loop their bodies when moving as the
Caterpillars of the family GEOMETRIDAE.
Most NOCTUIDAE pupate in the soil but some pupate under
a leaf of their food plant.
The adults mainly fly at night. They usually feed on
nectar from flowers, some feed on ripe fruit. They are from small to large size.
Usually they are dull in colour, but some have colourful hindwings.
- Transverse Moths
- Xanthodes transversa, subfamily, CHLOEPHORINAE, caterpillar length 50mm, adult wingspan 30mm
- We sometimes find this Transverse Moths caterpillars on our Hibiscus plants in our backyard. When small, the caterpillars are light green in colour. Later they develop yellow bands and black spots. The adult Transverse Moth is yellow in colour, with three brown arrow-shaped lines across each forewing. The back edges of the forewings are dark brown in colour. More pictures and information please click here.
- Lawn Armyworm
- Spodoptera mauritia, subfamily ACRONICTINAE, body length 20mm
- The adult moth is brown in colour with brown pattern on the forewings. They are common in Brisbane bush and garden. The moth is preyed on by Bird-dropping Spiders. Their eggs were laid on the painted wall of a house, as a hairy irregular mass. Their caterpillars are green when young and become brown in colour with two rows of black dots on the back. There are more information and pictures in this page.
- Green Blotched Moth
- Cosmodes elegans, subfamily ACRONICTINAE, body length 20mm
- We found quit a number of them in our backyard during early summer, but seldom see them in other season. This moths is easy to be identified. They are brown in colour with green patterns edged with white on their wings. When at rest on plants, they are not easily be noticed. The caterpillar is hairless and green in colour.
- Lily Caterpillar Moths
- Spodoptera picta, subfamily ACRONICTINAE, caterpillar length 20mm, moth body length 20mm
- Their caterpillars are known as Lily Caterpillar.
- Cluster Caterpillar
- Spodoptera litura, subfamily ACRONICTINAE, length 25mm
- The caterpillar is brown in colour with three thin yellow lines along its body. There are a row of black dots run along each side of the yellow lines. The caterpillar feed on leaves, flowers and fruit. The moth has a wingspan of about 40mm, brown in colour with a pattern on the fore wings. The hind wings are silvery white.
- Achaea Moth
- Achaea sp., subfamily CATOCALINAE, length 70mm, adult wingspan 70mm
- The caterpillar was found resting and covering along a stem, where the caterpillar mimicking part of the stem. When we came closer to take photos, it dropped to the ground. We found it on the ground among the plant materials and brought it home with those leaves it feeding on. More information please click here.
- White Banded Noctuid Moth I
- Donuca rubropicta sub-family CATOCALINAE, wingspan 70mm
- We found this moth hiding on the ceiling of my friend's house during the day. This moth is brown in colour with bright red abdomen. There are the eye marks on both forewings. There are two white strips across the forewings and hind wings.
- During the day, we found this moth hiding on a tree trunk near the floor.
- White Banded Noctuid Moth II
- Donuca orbigera, sub-family CATOCALINAE, wingspan 50mm
- This White Banded Noctuid Moths are quite common in the Alexandra Hill Bushland during late summer. In day time they hide among grasses or on tree trunk near the ground. When disturbed, they quickly fly away to another spot few meters away. They have the eye-spots and teeth pattern on the upper side of their wings, resemble a big mouth predator. Their abdomen is bright orange colour and the bottom side of their wings are brownish-yellow. In the air, they are the bright orange-yellow flying insects. If you spot them on their flight and look for a bright-orange insect on where they land, you will never find them.
- When we were following a White Banded Noctuid Moths to take the above pictures, we saw a Magpie (a common Australian bird) also spotted the moth and was chasing it before us. The Magpie stopped and searched on where the moth just landed. We thought this was the end of the moth. But, to our surprise, the Magpie suddenly retreated and flied up to the tree and called loudly. We believed the bird was shocked by the face pattern.
- Cotton Looper Moth
- Anomis flava, sub-family CATOCALINAE, body length 20mm
- Picture taken late summer in our backyard on the Hibiscus plants. The moth is golden yellow in colour with brown pattern. The caterpillar is green with white bands between segments. The caterpillar move in looper style, although it is not in GEOMETRIDAE family.
- Triangular-striped Moth
- Chalciope mygdon, Body length 20mm
- Noctuid Moth
- Grammodes justa, subfamily CATOCALINAE, body length 30mm
- The moth is dark brown with two parallel white lines across forewings and hindwings.
- Noctuid Moth
- Grammodes ocellata, sub-family CATOCALINAE, body length 30mm
- This moth look similar as the species above except with eye spot on each forewing. Pictures taken on a suburban street in early summer.
- The above pictures show the moths hiding near the floor under thick plants cover in the forest during the day. Their eye-spots are slight different between individual.
- Noctuid Moth
- Diatenes aglossoides, sub-family CATOCALINAE, wingspan 40mm
- The Moths is dark brown with complex pattern wings. It holds wings flat when rest.
- Poinciana Looper Moth
- Pericyma cruegeri, sub-family CATOCALINAE, wingspan 40mm
- The moth is brown in colour, with complex pattern of lines and patches. The caterpillar is long and green in colour. The moth attracted to window light. We took the above pictures on the wall and fence of our house.
- Noctuid Moth
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- Pataeta carbo, subfamily EUTELINAE, body length 25mm
- We found this moth inside our house.
