Boring Borers? I think not...

One of the real treats in the mothing world, at this time of year anyway, is the chance to catch a few of the flashy borer moths in the genus Papaipema. There are quite a few to choose from and several are highly distinctive. However, many are confusingly similar and you find youself scratching yer head a bit whilst struggling with the odd tricky identifcation. You find yerself looking very closely at the size and amout of white on the reniform and orbicular spots, the exact shade of orange on the forewings and the extent of any darker shading between the spots. All very confusing. but well worth it because they really are fantastic-looking creatures.

The borer above is (I think!!) Papaipema baptisiae. The larvae bore into the stems of indigo, wild indigo, Indian-plantain and dogbane.


This one is (again slightly tentatively) Papaipema birdi. It shows a larger reniform spot with a slightly different arrangement of white spots around it compared with P. baptisiae. The larvae bore into a variety of umbellates.


Lastly, an easy one! This one is Papaipema inquaesita, nothing else is similar. Note the strongly angled lines. The larvae bore into the stems of sensitive fern.

Hopefully more of these brilliant moths to follow in the coming weeks...