Animal Species:Shepherd's Footman Termessa shepherdi Newman, 1856
T. shepherdi is the largest species in the genus, and one of the most variable.
Lithosiinae Termessa shepherdi male
David Britton
© David Britton
Alternative Name/s
Lichen moth
Identification
Most specimens have white markings on the fore wing between the medial fascia and the base of the wing, and yellow markings behind the dark wing tip marking. They can be separated from the similar T. xanthomelas by having a complete black marking at the base of the forewing. Individuals of T. shepherdi with extensive dark markings on the forewing also resemble T. catocalina, but will always have yellow or white markings on the thorax.
DISCLAIMER: The identifications presented on these pages should be taken as indicative only. As with many groups of Australian insects there has been no formal revision of the Lithosiinae in recent years, and there are many undescribed species present in collections. Many species are superficially similar, and require a specialist to separate them.
Similar Species
T. catocalina, T. xanthomelas
Distribution
Moonbi Range (NSW) south to Victoria
Distribution by collection data
Biomaps map of Termessa shepherdi specimens from the Australian Museum database
Habitat
Montane forests
Seasonality
October to November
Feeding and Diet
Larvae probably feed on lichens
Life history modes
terrestrial, volant
Classification
- Species:
- shepherdi
- Genus:
- Termessa
- Subfamily:
- Lithosiinae
- Family:
- Arctiidae
- Superfamily:
- Noctuoidea
- Order:
- Lepidoptera
- Class:
- Insecta
- Phylum:
- Arthropoda
- Kingdom:
- Animalia
Further Reading
The majority of images of Lithosiinae presented on these pages were taken from specimens housed in the Australian National Insect Collection (ANIC) (CSIRO, Canberra). I would like to thank the staff and researchers at ANIC for their generous assistance in providing me access to this collection, and I acknowledge the depth of effort and the investment of staff time that has gone into building and curating this splendid resource. In particular, I would like to thank Ted Edwards and Marianne Horak for their assistance.
Dr
Dave Britton
, Collection Manager, Entomology
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