Alice Springs Fauna •
Alice Springs Moths | Alice Springs Moths Index
Alice Springs and Central Australia is home to amazing number of genus / species of moths, from the well known Processionary Caterpillars (also known as the Bag-shelter Moth, Ochrogaster lunifer) and the Yeperenye / Australian Striped Hawk Moth (Hyles livornicoides) that is one of the defining species that is entrenched in the art and culture of this region.
Keep an eye out for the various instar stages of the moths from the caterpillar through to the pupa / chrysalis, and then the adult moth. Following are some of the moths we have documented here in Alice Springs.
See our text list of the following listed moths/caterpillars at the bottom of the page.
Alice Springs Moths Index
Click on the following images to see information on the listed moths.
Many online resources often group moths and butterflies together, however moths outnumber butterflies in both numbers and species. In Australia alone, there are over 10,500 species of moths, compared with about 400 species of butterflies. Whilst there are very few species of butterflies yet to be discovered, in Australia there is estimated to be at least another 10,000 moth species yet to be discovered, studied and named.

- Aedia arctipennis
- Aedia leucomelas (Sweet Potato Leaf Worm)
- Agrotis munda (Brown Cutworm Moth)
- Arhodia lasiocamparia
- Australian Striped Hawk Moth (Hyles livornicoides)
- Bag-shelter Moth & Processionary Caterpillar
- Carpenter Moth (Endoxyla cinereus)
- Chasmina pulchra (White Beauty)
- Cleora (Geometer Moth)
- Coenotes eremophilae (instar Sandal-box Hawk Moth)
- Comocrus behri (caterpillar of the Mistletoe Moth)
- Comocrus behri (Mistletoe Moth/Day Flying Moth)
- Convolvulus Hawk-moth (Agrius convolvuli)
- Cossid Moth (Endoxyla leucomochla)
- Dasypodia selenophora (Southern Old Lady Moth)
- Destolinia lineata (Caterpillar of the Streaked Notodontid)
- Diatenes gerula (Erebid Moth)
- Dichromodes sp (Geometer Moth)
- Donuca spectabilis (White-spotted Owl-Moth)
- Doratifera quadriguttata (Four-spotted Cup Moth)
- Endoxyla Moth (family Cossidae)
- Endoxyla cinereus (Carpenter Moth)
- Gelechioid Moth
- Godart’s Hawkmoth (Agrius godarti)
- Helicoverpa punctigera (Australian Fruitworm)
- Heliotrope Moth (Utetheisa pulchelloides)
- Hyalarcta nigrescens (Ribbed Case Moth)
- Laced Day-Moth (Ipanica cornigera)
- Leptocneria binotata
- Mocis alterna (Bean Looper Moth)
- Niguza spiramioides
- Noctuinae (Cutworms and Dart Moths)
- Owlet Moth (Eudesmeola lawsoni)
- Owlet Moth (Ophiusa parcemacula)
- Plume Moth (Pterophoridae)
- Psalidostetha banksiae (Banksia Moth caterpillar)
- Psychidae, family (Leaf Case Moth)
- Sameodes cancellalis (Banded Pearl)
- Yeperenye / Yipirinya
Check out our main section on Fauna | Insects | Moths | Moths Index
- Scientific classification
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Arthropoda
- Class: Insecta
- Order: Lepidoptera
Footnote & References
- Moth, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moth (last visited Feb. 8, 2022)
- Butterfly, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butterfly (last visited Feb. 13, 2022)
- Families of Moths in Australia, by Don Herbison-Evans and Stella Crossley, Coffs Harbour Butterfly House, http://lepidoptera.butterflyhouse.com.au/moths.html
- Australian Moths Online, CSIRO, https://moths.csiro.au/
Alice Springs Moths | Alice Springs Moths Index
Alice Springs MothsMoths Index Aedia leucomelas (Sweet Potato Leaf Worm) Agrotis munda (Brown Cutworm Moth) Arhodia lasiocamparia Australian Striped Hawk Moth (Hyles livornicoides) Bag-shelter Moth & Processionary Caterpillar Carpenter Moth (Endoxyla cinereus) Chasmina pulchra (White Beauty) Cleora (Geometer Moth) Convolvulus Hawk-moth (Agrius convolvuli) Dasypodia selenophora (Southern Old Lady Moth) Destolinia lineata (Caterpillar of the Streaked Notodontid) Diatenes gerula (Erebid Moth) Dichromodes sp (Geometer Moth) Endoxyla Moth (family Cossidae) Gelechioid Moth Giant Wood Moth (Endoxyla cinereus) Godart’s Hawkmoth (Agrius godarti) Helicoverpa punctigera (Australian Fruitworm) Mocis alterna (Bean Looper Moth) Laced Day-Moth (Ipanica cornigera) Niguza spiramioides Leptocneria binotata Owlet Moth (Eudesmeola lawsoni) Owlet Moth (Ophiusa parcemacula) Plume Moth (Pterophoridae) Sameodes cancellalis (Banded Pearl) Yeperenye / Yipirinya
Alice Springs Butterflies & Moths (Lepidopterans)Butterflies Moths
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