Anthela excellens (Walker, 1855)
Grey-Headed Anthelid
(one synonym : Darala integra Walker, 1855)
ANTHELINAE,   ANTHELIDAE,   BOMBYCOIDEA
 
Don Herbison-Evans
(donherbisonevans@yahoo.com)
and
Stella Crossley

Anthela excellens
male
(Photo: courtesy of Joan Fearn, Moruya, New South Wales)

The Caterpillars of this species feed on various species of

  • Wattle ( Acacia, MIMOSACEAE ).

    Anthela excellens
    female
    (Specimen: courtesy of the Macleay Museum, University of Sydney)

    The adults vary in colour from olive-green to reddish-orange, with variable markings. The males have a grey head. The males have a wingspan of about 5 cms. The females are larger, with a wingspan of about 7 cms.

    Anthela excellens
    male
    (Specimen: courtesy of the Macleay Museum, University of Sydney)

    While most Anthela species have two spots or lacunae on the forewings, these are not always evident on the upper surfaces of the wings of this species, but they are visible on the undersides.

    Anthela excellens
    (Photo: courtesy of Buck Richardson, Kuranda, Queensland)

    The species has been found in

  • Queensland,
  • New South Wales, and
  • Victoria.

    Anthela excellens
    showing undersides (well: of the right forewing anyway)
    (Photo: courtesy of Joan Fearn, Moruya, New South Wales)


    Further reading :

    Ian F.B. Common,
    Moths of Australia,
    Melbourne University Press, 1990, pl. 13.2, p. 395.

    Peter Marriott,
    Moths of Victoria - Part 1,
    Silk Moths and Allies - BOMBYCOIDEA
    ,
    Entomological Society of Victoria, 2008, pp. 20-21.

    Buck Richardson,
    Mothology,
    LeapFrogOz, Kuranda, 2008, p. 12.

    Francis Walker,
    Lepidoptera Heterocera,
    List of the Specimens of Lepidopterous Insects in the Collection of the British Museum,
    Part 4 (1855), p. 902, No. 24.

    Paul Zborowski and Ted Edwards,
    A Guide to Australian Moths,
    CSIRO Publishing, 2007, p. 154.


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    (updated 28 February 2011, 3 July 2023)