Abantiades barnardi (Tindale, 1941) (formerly known as Bordaia barnardi) HEPIALIDAE,   HEPIALOIDEA

Don Herbison-Evans (donherbisonevans@yahoo.com) and Stella Crossley

male
(Photo: courtesy of Paul Kay, Wandoo State Forest, Western Australia)

The male adult moths of this species basically have grey forewings with a sinuous pattern of black, white, and grey patches with black outlines. The hindwings are plain dark grey. The antennae of the males are tripectinate. The wingspan of the males is about 12 cms.

female
(Photo: courtesy of Paul Kay, Wandoo State Forest, Western Australia)

The females are similar, but larger, with grey rather than white markings on the forewings, and have plain dark grey hindwings. The antennae of the female are thread-like. The wingspan of the females is about 18 cms.

male
(Photo: courtesy of Paul Kay, Wandoo State Forest, Western Australia)

The grey colour of live specimens fades to brown in museum specimens.

The species is found in

Western Australia (listed as Trictena barnardi)

female
(Photo: courtesy of Paul Kay, Wandoo State Forest, Western Australia)

---

Further reading :

Thomas J. Simonsen,
Splendid Ghost Moths and their Allies,
A Revision of Australian Abantiades, Oncopera, Aenetus, Archaeoaenetus and Zelotypia (Hepialidae),
Monographs on Australian Lepidoptera Volume 12,
CSIRO Publishing, Melbourne, 2018, pp. 51, 59, 90-01, 195, 236, Plates 16, 45.

Norman B. Tindale,
Revision of the Australian Ghost Moths (Lepidoptera Homoneura, Family Hepialidae), Part IV ,
Records of the South Australian Museum,
Volume 7, Part 1 (1941), p. 43-44, and also Plate VI, fig 64.

---

previous caterpillar

Australian butterflies

Australian Lepidoptera

Australian moths

next caterpillar

(written 30 January 2020)