Bag-shelter Moth - Ochrogaster lunifer
On the mainland Ochrogaster lunifer is just about Australia wide and because of this wide distribution can be highly variable in color and markings. Amongst the moth studying entomologists there is the suspicion that there may be more than one species represented under the O. lunifer banner. The one photographed above is one of the more unusual and highly spectacular forms, with the photographs not doing the coloration justice due to a camera failure. It was a rich golden color not unlike my photos in another post of the Case Moth - Lomera pantosemna, also the abdomen was horizontally striped with bright orange and black bands, so quite a stunning individual.
The caterpillars are known as Processionary Caterpillars and move from one food source to another head to tail. However, I have not noticed this habit locally, although their silken nests that usually envelop small Myrtaceae shrubs close to the ground, are not infrequently encountered, and for this reason I do not think local Bag Moths produce as many larvae compared to the long lines of Procession Caterpillars noted elsewhere.
The male 2.5 cm (1") long moth above was seen over a couple of days during mid-October and unless they ignore house lights to unerringly follow the pheromones of the female moths, are not particularly common in the sandy heaths around Esperance. Although apparently, they are only around for a short period as they have no mouth parts to feed and so die within a few days after they have mated and started a new generation. As a word of warning, the hairs on the caterpillar, their silken nests and those on the tail end of the adults can cause skin rashes, so should be avoided, nevertheless they are well worth a prolonged gander.
