Nyctemera amicus

Senecio Moth, Magpie Moth, Cineraria Moth at Quaama, NSW

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Identification history

Unidentified

10 Nov 2020

FionaG

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User's notes

Black and orange striped hairy caterpillar that becomes a black moth with a line of white dots about two thirds down its body. The body is orange/yellow and black striped. The moth was roughly the size of a 20 cent piece. Several caterpillars found individually on various Fireweed plants.

3 comments

JackieMiles wrote:

7 Dec 2020

Hi Fiona, Yeah, same thing at Brogo, just a single caterpillar per fireweed. I feel a bit guilty about pulling their food plant out. We have heaps of native Senecio species they could be feeding on, but they seem to prefer the fireweed. I don't think I have ever seen a caterpillar on the native Senecio plants, yet that must be what they fed on before the fireweed turned up.

FionaG wrote:

7 Dec 2020

It's strange that I've only noticed them this year, no other year previously. Also, when I last went Fireweed picking I can across 2 different caterpillars, one a brownish inch worm type and the other I would guess at being Cabbage Butterfly. Who knows, in 10 years we might be able to leave the Fireweed to nature. Wouldn't that be nice!

JackieMiles wrote:

8 Dec 2020

Hah! Dream on. Although I did hear on the radio recently that another potential biocontrol agent is being tested, so fingers crossed this one turns out to be a winner and not too keen on hammering the local Senecio species. I think they said it was a weevil.

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