This family has two subfamilies, Thaumetopoeinae, and Notodontinae. the Epicomas recently featured belong to the former family and this post will cover the remaining members photographed locally. The larvae of the Thaumetopoeinae moths are very hairy, and contact with the hairs can cause severe skin rashes, and in the case of the Processionary Moth, Ochrogaster lunifer, have been known to cause a very serious case of paediatric osteomyelitis. The toxic filaments in that case came from not from a larva but from an adult moth, so be warned!

Sparshall’s Moth, Trichiocercus sparshalli has spectacular larvae, this was an early photograph of some that were sheltering behind a flake of bark, they are eucalypt grazers.

The adult moths are quite plain although the male is showy.

Female.

Male.

The Patterned Notodontid, Aglaosoma variegata is by way of contrast quite beautiful. These are both males, with one flying up the sheet showing the hind wings and colourful body. The larvae are known to feed on acacia and banksia species.

And now the Processionary Moth, Ochrogaster lunifer. The genus Ochrogaster is believed to contain a number of species throughout Australia, the Victorian specimens are at present included under the species name lunifer. (MOV 2) It is variable in colour and pattern but the ones photographed locally all conform to the same general appearance.
Larval food plants include acacias.

The next post will feature local moths in the subfamily Notodontinae.

Click images to enlarge.

References and further reading.

Moths of Victoria Volume 2, second edition,

A Field Guide to Australian Moths.

This genus of attractive moths in the Notodontidae has eight representatives in Victoria, five named, and three to which names cannot be confidently applied, they are designated sp. (1), (2), and (3) in  Moths of Victoria Vol. 2 second edition, and of the eight, six have come to the light locally.
Of the other two, E. melanosticta is of more northerly distribution, and sp. (3) is alpine. In my reference, MOV Vol. 2, they are divided into two groups, white-winged and dark-winged. The larvae feed on plants in the Myrtacaea, eg. eucalypts, callistemons, leptospermums, kunzea, etc.

My first encounter with the genus was in April 2008, when a female E. melanospila came in soon after I became interested in moths, the  female is significantly different to the male, below.

Species (1) and (2) are also in the white-winged group, sp. (1) was photographed in tall forest by Gladstone Creek south of Mount Moornapa in April 2012, and sp.(2) in the same location in April 2016. Both are male moths.

Species (1)

Species (2)

First in the dark-winged group is Epicoma contristis, The male was recorded in box/ironbark bush at Glenmaggie in March 2016, and the female with the smaller antennae at Holey Plains State Park in January 2014. Note the diffuse dark area around the yellow discal spot.

Epicoma tristis is a similar moth but the dark area around the discal spot is more compact, and the antennae are larger and more spectacular. Both males were recorded in Providence Ponds Reserve in November 2013.

Thirdly in this group is Epicoma pontificalis, in March  2016 several females came to the light at Providence Ponds in taller stringy forest on the eastern boundary track.

Identification of these moths can be tricky, MOV 2 is the essential reference, the MOV series is the source of all names used in these posts.
Thanks also to P Marriott for information and identifications.

Click images to enlarge.