Holey Plains State Park.

This park covers 10,638 hectares and is one of the richest and most diverse areas of native vegetation in the Victorian parks system, with well over five hundred species recorded. It is a valuable reserve of the eucalypt and banksia woodland that has been extensively cleared for other purposes, including pine plantations that abut the park in several locations. Of the nine eucalypt species in the park, E. willisii, the Shining Peppermint that can be seen growing growing on the South Boundary Track is an interesting occurrence.

Typical mixed eucalypt woodland.

Banksia serrata with a rich understory of Xanthorrhoea australis.

Soils are largely sandy, in low ridges, and there is a total of twenty six wetlands with no permanent streams, although Merriman’s Creek forms a boundary to the south. The standout plant is the rare and restricted Wellington Mint-bush, Prostanthera galbraithiae,  that often grows in company with Boronia anemonifolia.

Prostanthera galbraithiae.

Boronia anemonifolia.

Two broad oil and gas pipeline easements bisect the park, and there are firebreaks cleared to protect the pines, where heathland plants that have been largely choked out by rampant bracken growth in much of the park, maintain a foothold, eg. Tetratheca and Hibbertia species.

Tetratheca pilosa.

Hibbertia stricta.

As a consequence of the vegetation diversity, the moth fauna is also rich and diverse, and  many notable records have been made there during the last few years, including a new record for the state, Chloroclystis metallospora, collected in the south pipeline easement by Ken Harris in February 2012. Another good record made at the same location and time was Coequosa triangularis, the Triangle Hawk Moth, a species more likely to be encountered in the far east of the state. The larvae feed on the foliage of Banksias, including B. serrata, common in the park.

The Noctuid Thysanoplusia orichalcea, sub family Plusiinae,  was first recorded in Queensland in 1976, and has since been extending its range. This was one of the first few Victorian records, photographed in the park in April 2012, it is an agricultural pest.

Another Noctuid was also a good record, Paonidia anthracias, sub family Hypeninae, photographed in December 2012. At the time there was just one Victorian record on the barcoding site at the Australian National Insect Collection, tagged for the Otways, and this was the first record east of that location.

Holey Plains has been good for quite a number of uncommon Geometrids, including the following two that extended the known range.

Nisista galearia.

Nisista notodontaria.

Another Nisista, named sp. (4) in MOV 5 came to the light in September 2012, it was the first record from this part of the state.

There are few Victorian  records of (Tephrosia) exesaria, and the distribution is uncertain, it may be confined to the east of the state. Victorian flight records are in January, February, April and November. (MOV 7)
The male and female below were photographed in April 2012.

Male.

Female.

All the above Geometrids are from the sub family Ennominae, this beautiful Emerald, Eucyclodes buprestaria, the Bordered Emerald is from the sub family Geometrinae. It was photographed in the southern pipeline easement in March 2015. The larval food plants of this moth include the Dodders, Cassytha species.

And to conclude, something quite different, a False Plume Moth, Tineodes adactylalis, one of eleven Australian species in the family Tineodidae, and not often encountered. Photographed in the park in January 2012. Nothing is known of its biology.

The above are just a small fraction of the rich moth fauna of Holey Plains State Park, a place that deserves the utmost in care and conservation for all its flora and fauna.

Click images to enlarge.

References and further reading.
P Marriott,
M Hewish,
Moths of Victoria Volumes 4, 5, and 7,
A Guide to Australian Moths.

 

The Anthelidae #2.

Twenty two species of Anthela are listed for Victoria, many are from the north of the state, while six have come to the light locally, viz. acuta, repleta, nicothoe, ocellata, addita, and ferruginosa. Acuta is extremely variable and is properly referred to as the acuta complex, as further study may indicate that there are more than one species involved. Repleta is also variable and the same situation may possibly be valid. While many of the Anthelids are autumn fliers, the Anthela species pictured may fly in during much of the year, except perhaps the coldest winter months.

A. acuta, the Common Anthelid.
The first image is typical of those encountered at home, it is a male. The second is a female, and the next two males show some of the variability of moths from further afield. Larval food plants include Acacias.

A. repleta, the Replete Anthelid.
Images of three males, again showing the variability, larval food plants as for acuta.

A. nicothoe, the Urticaring Anthelid.
In contrast to the above two species, A. nicothoe has been a rarity at my light with just one male and two females to show for many night’s mothing. Two females first, then two males, the second a lovely individual from Providence Ponds, photograph courtesy of Peter Marriott. The larvae again feed  on Acacias, plus the widely grown plantation tree Pinus radiata. As the common name suggests, the larvae have stinging hairs that can cause urticaria.

A. ocellata, the Eyespot Anthelid.
This aptly names species can also be variable in its markings as seen in these three females. The larvae are grass feeders, the reason perhaps why the first moth refused to come to the sheet but stayed in the grass, possibly having eggs to lay.

A. addita, the Reddish Anthelid.
Again, like A. nicothoe, only occasional at my light, two females.

A. ferruginosa, the Rusty Anthelid.
In March this year at Glenmaggie, a number came to the light for the first time, all females with some the worse for wear, this was one of the freshest. Grass feeding larvae.

References and further reading.
P Marriott,
Moths of Victoria Vol. 1 second edition.