Unknown Owlet Moth from Australia is Granny’s Cloak

danielj

January 2nd, 2008 at 1:00 am

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large moth in Australia
Hi there, I have had lots of large moths hiding in my shed that look like the Black Witch moth (although it looks like these do not occur in Australia), or perhaps the owlet moth. During the day they cluster in dark crevices but at night they come out and unlike other moths, they don’t go directly to light but prefer to land in dim areas near the light. They are at least 10 – 15cm wide.
Susan
New South Wales, Australia

owlet australia Unknown Owlet Moth from Australia is Grannys Cloak

Hi Susan,
We have been trying unsuccessfully to correctly identify your Owlet Moth in the superfamily Noctuoidea. We are posting the image in the hopes that one of our readers can provide the species.

Dear Daniel,
The moth is Granny’s Cloak, Speiredonia spectans. It is often found in shady places, including inside houses and sheds. Kind Regards,
Grev

Great, i have found some more info about their habits, at < http://staff.it.uts.edu.au/~don/larvae/cato/spectan.html > if you are interested. Thanks
susan