Abstract
The nocturnal Bogong moth (Agrotis infusa) is an iconic and well-known Australian insect that is also a remarkable nocturnal navigator. Like the Monarch butterflies of North America, Bogong moths make a yearly migration over enormous distances, from southern Queensland, western and northwestern New South Wales (NSW) and western Victoria, to the alpine regions of NSW and Victoria. After emerging from their pupae in early spring, adult Bogong moths embark on a long nocturnal journey towards the Australian Alps, a journey that can take many days or even weeks and cover over 1000 km. Once in the Alps (from the end of September), Bogong moths seek out the shelter of selected and isolated high ridge-top caves and rock crevices (typically at elevations above 1800 m). In hundreds of thousands, moths line the interior walls of these cool alpine caves where they “hibernate” over the summer months (referred to as “estivation”). Towards the end of the summer (February and March), the same individuals that arrived months earlier leave the caves and begin their long return trip to their breeding grounds. Once there, moths mate, lay eggs and die. The moths that hatch in the following spring then repeat the migratory cycle afresh. Despite having had no previous experience of the migratory route, these moths find their way to the Alps and locate their estivation caves that are dotted along the high alpine ridges of southeastern Australia. How naïve moths manage this remarkable migratory feat still remains a mystery, although there are many potential sensory cues along the migratory route that moths might rely on during their journey, including visual, olfactory, mechanical and magnetic cues. Here we review our current knowledge of the Bogong moth, including its natural history, its ecology, its cultural importance to the Australian Aborigines and what we understand about the sensory basis of its long-distance nocturnal migration. From this analysis it becomes clear that the Bogong moth represents a new and very promising model organism for understanding the sensory basis of nocturnal migration in insects.
Highlights
Every spring, newly eclosed Bogong moths Agrotis infusa (Figure 1)—modest-looking brown nocturnal moths of the family Noctuidae—embark on a remarkable long-distance migration of up to 1000 km towards the high alpine areas of southeastern Australia (Figure 2)
For tens of thousands of years, Australia’s first inhabitants, the Aborigines, knew of the vast numbers of moths resting in the mountains above them, and tribes originating from both sides of the range ascended to high alpine meadows each summer to feast on the rich source of fat and protein provided by these insects and to attend to intertribal business (Flood, 1980, 1996)
While lacking the visual splendour of the brilliantly colored Monarch butterfly, the small and humbly decorated Bogong moth is impressive in terms of its navigational skills
Summary
Newly eclosed Bogong moths Agrotis infusa (Figure 1)—modest-looking brown nocturnal moths of the family Noctuidae—embark on a remarkable long-distance migration of up to 1000 km towards the high alpine areas of southeastern Australia (Figure 2). Flying from the dry plains of southern Queensland, western and northwestern New South Wales (NSW) and western Victoria, they seek out the shelter of cool mountain caves and rock crevices dotted across the alpine landscape, gradually congregating there in their billions (Figure 3; Green, 2010a) They stay in a dormant torpid state (known as ‘‘estivation’’) for up to 4 months, neatly tiling the cool rock walls of the caves (Figure 3B) until the beginning of the following autumn—an astonishing 17,000 of them per square metre (Common, 1954). Awakened from their long dormancy, these moths leave their caves and return to where they came from, making long journeys back to their breeding grounds. Far from being yet another dull brown moth, the Bogong moth emerges as a most extraordinary insect
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