Southern Downs Buterflies & Moths

Southern Downs Buterflies & MothsAloa marginata (Donovan’s Tiger Moth) Amata trigonophora (Tiger Moth) Candalides xanthospilos (Yellow-spot Blue) Cephonodes kingii (Day Flying Hawk Moth) Genduara punctigera (Crexa Moth) Opodiphthera loranthi (Emperor Moth) Papilio aegeus aegeus (Orchard Butterfly) Tirumala hamata (Blue Tiger)

Butterflies and moths are known collectively as lepidopterans, belonging to the order Lepidoptera, in the class Insecta. The Southern Downs region of Queensland 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.

Southern Downs Butterflies and Moths

Blue Tiger (Tirumala hamata), Ballandean QLD © Marc Newman — Blue Tiger (Tirumala hamata)

Day Flying Hawk Moth (Cephonodes kingii) on Chinese Plumbago, Ballandean QLD © Marc Newman — Day Flying Hawk Moth (Cephonodes kingii)

Four-Spot Anthelid Moth (Anthela guenei), Ballandean QLD © Marc Newman — Four-Spot Anthelid Moth (Anthela guenei)

Donovan's Tiger Moth (Aloa marginata), Ballandean QLD © Marc Newman — Donovan’s Tiger Moth (Aloa marginata)

Emperor Moth (Opodiphthera loranthi), Ballandean QLD © Marc Newman — Emperor Moth (Opodiphthera loranthi)

Papilio aegeus aegeus (Orchard Butterfly), Ballandean QLD © Marc Newman — Orchard Butterfly (Papilio aegeus aegeus)

Tiger Moth (Amata trigonophora), Ballandean QLD © Marc Newman — Tiger Moth (Amata trigonophora)

Candalides xanthospilos (Yellow-spot Blue), Ballandean QLD © Marc Newman — Yellow-spot Blue (Candalides xanthospilos)

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.

This section is a work in progress…

Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera

Footnote & References

Southern Downs InsectsSouthern Downs Beetles Southern Downs Buterflies & Moths Australian Emperor Scarlet Percher

Southern Downs QLDSouthern Downs Fauna Southern Downs Bees Southern Downs Birds Southern Downs Crustacean Southern Downs Frogs Southern Downs Insects Southern Downs Marsupials Southern Downs Reptiles Southern Downs Spiders

QueenslandGold Coast Region Lamington National Park Southern Downs QLD