#oxycanus

[onenicebugperday]

Found this big critter on the concrete at my local gas station in south-east Melbourne, Australia. It was missing two legs on the right so I took it home to release into my garden to try prolong it's life.

What a large and beautiful friend! Looks like a swift moth, mayyyybe in the genus Oxycanus, but don't quote me on that.

[drhoz]

#1682 - Oxycanus determinata

A quite rare mid-sized Hepialid, only found in coastal vegetation in parts of Western Australia. Apparently my photos are the only record of the species on iNaturalist or the Atlas of Living Australia.

Wannanup, south of Perth

[drhoz]

#1532 - Oxycanus perditus

A smaller Hepialid moth, spotted on the wall of the hut we were staying in out at Dryandra. Quite similar to Oxycanus occidentalis, which was the first one I thought it was, but the pinkish legs and fluffier antennae suggest it’s O. perditus instead. 

These Rain Moths live in silk-lined tunnels underground, feeding on roots and emerging at night to feed on surrounding vegetation, especially grass. They can spend most of the year down there, until pupation, and then they all emerge as adults after rain, to mate and die within a few days at best.