Hey folks,

I am working on a project to collect and rear these small “log cabin” style case moths, particularly the spiral ones. I am looking for help from the fabulous amateur entomology community with finding and collecting specimens.

There are two main goals of this project. The first is to collect and rear as many of these as I can in order to observe their lifecycle, behaviour, and to identify the species based on the adult male moth. While a number of these cases have been observed in Australia on iNaturalist, the species that creates them is currently unknown. It would be awesome if we could finally put a name to these fabulous little architects! The second part of the project is to provide these specimens and information about them for an upcoming TV documentary series.

You can help by doing the following if you come across these case moths:

• Uploading photos of your observations to iNaturalist and including them in the “Log Cabin Case Moths of Australia” project. Where possible, please include details about where they were found, e.g. type of plant, on a fence, etc..
• Collecting any live specimens (provided they are not in a protected area like a National or State Park) and posting them to me (postage costs will be reimbursed and I can provide instructions on how to package them safely)

Any assistance with this project is greatly appreciated.

For more information, contact me at:
Email: casemothcapers@gmail.com

iNaturalist: @casemothcapers
Facebook: Leonie Kirchmajer

Instructions for posting specimens

Place the specimens in a small, plastic container (like a small take away dipping sauce container), with some leaves of the plant they were found on (if applicable). For live specimens, poke a few holes in the lid with a pin for air (they don’t need much). You don’t want there to be too much extra space in the container otherwise they’ll be rattling about in transit. For specimens without leaves you can add some scrunched up paper towel. Then place the plastic container in a sturdy cardboard box and pack around it with either bubble wrap or scrunched up paper. We recommend a cardboard box rather than a padded bag as Australia Post can be a bit rough and sometimes packages get squashed.

Include in the package a note with the following information:
Date of collection:
Location of collection:
Name of collector:
Plant found on (if applicable):
INaturalist ref (if you’ve uploaded a photo of the specimen to iNaturalist):

Contact me for the address and keep a receipt of the postage cost so I can reimburse you.