Gold Coast Buterflies & MothsCase Moths Common Crow (Euploea core) Wattle Cup Caterpillar (Calcarifera ordinata)

Butterflies and moths are known collectively as lepidopterans, belonging to the order Lepidoptera, in the class Insecta. The Gold Coast region is home to a great variety of butterflies and moths. As well as the winged adult species, keep an eye out for the various instar stages including caterpillar and pupa/chrysalis.

Joseph's Coat Moth caterpillar (Agarista agricola), Gold Coast QLD © Stefan Jones
Joseph’s Coat Moth caterpillar (Agarista agricola), Gold Coast QLD © Stefan Jones
Common Crow (Euploea core) caterpillar, Gold Coast QLD © Stefan Jones
Common Crow (Euploea core) caterpillar, Gold Coast QLD © Stefan Jones

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.

Case moth (possibly genus Lomera, family Psychidae), Gold Coast QLD © Stefan Jones
Case moth (possibly genus Lomera, family Psychidae), Gold Coast QLD © Stefan Jones
Common Crow (Euploea core), Gold Coast QLD © Stefan Jones
Common Crow (Euploea core), Gold Coast QLD © Stefan Jones
  • Scientific classification
  • Kingdom: Animalia
  • Phylum: Arthropoda
  • Class: Insecta
  • Order: Lepidoptera

Footnote & References

  1. Photographs © Stefan Jones

Gold Coast Buterflies & MothsCase Moths Common Crow (Euploea core) Wattle Cup Caterpillar (Calcarifera ordinata)

Gold Coast InsectsAntlions, Lacewings, and Allies (Neuroptera) Ants Bees Beetles Bugs (Hemiptera & Heteroptera) Buterflies & Moths Flies (Diptera) Wasps

Gold Coast RegionFauna

QueenslandGold Coast Region Lamington National Park Southern Downs QLD