
Fruit tree borer
This photo shows the underside of the moth in the previous post.
I tried to move the moth from the lights as there were many spiders lurking in the fixtures waiting to feast on insects attracted to the lights. As I did so, the moth clung to the small stick and curved the tip of its abdomen and laid on its back making no attempt to fly away. This reportedly is a behaviour seen in this species, which is interesting.

The fruit tree borer is a moth of the family Xyloryctidae. It is native to Australia. The moths confront threats by lying down on their back or side, extending the wings upwards and curling the abdomen to display the yellow tip.
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