Family: Castniidae: Synemon sp Most like Synemon nupta ID Ted Edwards CSIRO"Sun moths are an unusual group of day-flying moths that look and behave very much like butterflies.... Most sun-moths are similar in appearance with bright orange or red undersides. The upper-side of the hind wings is also orange or red, but when the wings are closed these are hidden by the dark brown or black fore-wings." Common Butterflies of the South-West - Bush Books series Andrew Williams, Robert Powell, Matthew Williams, Geoff Walker. Publisher Deptartment of Environment and Conservation 2009.They are so sensitive to the sunlight that if a cloud passes overhead, they will settle and stay until the sunlight returns or if they are disturbed. Adults will live only 4 to 10 days. The females mate and lay their eggs shortly after emerging from the pupae.The eggs are laid near the roots of native sedges - Lepidosperma and other species.
One of the day flying colourful sun-moths. This is feeding from Hakea ruscifolia, a shrub that usually flowers during December and January. Photos: Jean and Fred
Synemon heliopisThese medium sized moths were flying yesterday and looked black as they flew. They have an iridescent blue colour on the scales on the ends of the wings.
Two years ago I photographed these moths mating . This year I photographed them laying eggs. They are a large sunmoth and look like a black butterfly as they fly.These moths were described by Westwood, J.O. in 1877 for the Linnean Society of London Zoology See: www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/abrs/online-resources...Most sunmoths are very similar with dappled grey on the upper side of the fore-wings with bright orange/red under wings. Photos: Jean
Lepidoptera: Synemon catocaloides This is a photo I took in October 2004 on a trip through the Murchison (desert country). Not a butterfly but a sun moth.
One of the day flying colourful sun-moths. This is feeding from Hakea ruscifolia, a shrub that usually flowers during December and January. Photos: Jean and Fred
