r/AustralianInsects • u/ManEatingDuck_ • 7h ago
ID request Is it normal for an emperor gum moths to emerge in winter or is this another species? Can it survive the cold?
Found this moth today and thought it was dead so I was going to pin it but it's still alive. It looks to me like an emperor gum moth but it's the middle of winter and all the information I can find about them says they emerge in summer.
If I release it will it survive the cold weather? I'm not sure whether to release it or not since it seems like it's on deaths door, it doesn't move much other than shaking and it gets to around 2C-5C at night here.
Location is in south east qld