The Bogong Moth: Agrotis infusa

Bogong moths are one of Australia’s most iconic insect species. They hold great traditional importance to the First Nations people of Australia and their aestivating masses in the Australian Alps are (or were) one of the great biological wonders of Australia. They are likely Australia’s most notable moth species, and their decline represents a shrinking opportunity for Australian people to learn about and connect with their native fauna in a world under threat. Bogong moths have key roles in the transport of nutrients and energy from their winter breeding grounds to their summer aestivation sites in the mountains. Their aestivating masses also provide essential food resouces for a wide range of specialist alpine animals, including the critically endangered mountain pygmy possum and the southern bent-wing bat. Bogongs are divisive economically, serving, on the one hand, in the ecological functioning of the Australian Alps and, on the other, as crop pests in their winter range. Bogong moth populations have undergone severe recent declines and are now considered as endangered. Threatening processes include climate change, agricultural intensification and non-native vertebrate predation. The chapter focuses on their conservation, identifying knowledge gaps and discussing appropriate habitat restoration and management together with surveying and monitoring programmes.