Male
(Specimen: courtesy of the Macleay Museum, University of Sydney)

The forewings of the adult moths are black with several rows of white spots. The hind wings are black with an irregular orange patch. The abdomen is orange on top and black underneath, with white transverse bands.

Female: underside
(Photo by Carol Page, Little Desert in Western Victoria,
courtesy of Dr David G Hewitt)

The males have a curved transparent 'window' in each forewing. They also make a clicking-whistling sound when flying. This is made in flight by a ribbed area on the forewing rubbing against a small protrusion. The noise is probably used to attract females.

Male: underside
(Specimen: courtesy of the Macleay Museum, University of Sydney)

The species occurs in

Further reading :

John Alcock, Darryl T. Gwynne and Ian R. Dadour,
Acoustic signaling, territoriality, and mating in whistling moths, Hecatesia thyridion (Agaristidae), Journal of Insect Behavior, Volume 2, Number 1 (January 1989), pp. 27-37.

Ian F.B. Common,
Moths of Australia, Melbourne University Press, 1990, pl. 22.26, pp. 47, 50, 464.

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(updated 19 November 2011)