Black-headed Wasp Moth - Eressa angustipenna
Family Arctiidae
This page contains pictures and information about Black-headed Wasp Moths that we found in the Brisbane area, Queensland, Australia.
- Wingspan 30mm, Mar 2008, Bulimba Creek near Acacia Ridge
- This moth is common in Brisbane bushes. We can easily find them resting or flying openly in the Eucalyptus forest. They like to rest on green leaf in shaded area during the day.
- The about pictures show different mating couples. We found them spend quite a long time in mating. One thing interesting is that most of their pictures, from reference books or other web sites, showing they are mating. This is not the case for other moth species.
- Oct 2007, Bulimba Creek near Wishart
- This moth looks like wasp. Its wings are black with translucent yellow-orange spots. It has black and orange-yellow bands on its body. There is the orange band between its black head and black hairy thorax. Its forewings are long and a bit narrow. Its hind wings are relatively small.
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- The wing patterns and colours are slightly different between individuals.
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- When we talking the above photos, the Tiger Moth tried very hard to convince us that it is a wasp, opened its wings, dancing around and waving its banded abdomen.
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- For this species, both male and female have the filiform antennae (not feather like).
- Reference:
- 1. Moths - family Arctiidae - lifeunseen.com by Nick Monaghan, 2007
- 2. Eressa angustipenna - Australian Caterpillars by Don Herbison-Evans & Stella Crossley, 2007
- 3. Moths
of Australia - I. F. B. Common, Melbourne University Press,
1990, p439,
Fig44.4.
