A pinned specimen of a scribbly gum moth.

A scribbly gum moth - one of several species of these tiny moths that have now been found.

Scribbly gums: interpreting their scribbles

CSIRO researchers are the first to uncover how the iconic scribbles on Australian eucalypts are made and have described the biology and lifecycle of the moths responsible for them.

  • 7 September 2006 | Updated 8 February 2013
  1. Overview
  2. Scribbly gum moth research
  3. Researchers
  4. The saga of the scribbly gum moths

Overview

Page 1 of 4

The ‘scribbles’ on scribbly gums are an icon of the Australian bush, but until recently very little was known about the cause of these distinctive scribbles.

A team of our researchers have been the first to uncover the mechanism by which the scribbles are made, along with the biology and lifecycle of the moths responsible. In the process they have described eleven new species of moth and redrawn how the Ogmograptis species fit into the moth family tree.

Read more about the scribbly gum moth research.