Another moth and unusual predator

Another moth visitor last night and I thought the very distinctive patterns on the wings would make identification relatively easy but although I have found very similar looking moths this one has a few different markings.

So it would seem to be one of the species in the ANTHELIDAE family and the closest I can find is Anthela limonea butI will happily be corrected if someone knows the identity.


Today, when I was cutting a tree up for firewood, I noticed nearby in amongst a deep cover of bark and leaf litter the telltale sign of a silent predator. The red and white fruiting stem of a fungi Cordyceps militaris, that invades chrysalis of various insects or  caterpillars, gaining nutrition from their bodies.

I don't know what type of insect was the victim but you can see the small egg-shaped cases that held the small larva, from which the fruiting body has burst forth. There is some interest in this fungi from a medicinal view point and a related fungi in Tibet is worth more than gold. This species is found throughout NSW and Victoria.