female
(Specimen: courtesy of the Macleay Collection, Chau Chak Wing 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.

male
(Specimen: courtesy of the Macleay Collection, Chau Chak Wing 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.

mating pair, male on left showing his undersides
(Photo: courtesy of Carol & Trevor Deane, Dorrigo, New South Wales)

The species has been found in

The eggs are pale brown and ellipsoidal, each with a length of about 2 mms. They are layed in a vague rows, on any convenient surface.

eggs
(Photo: courtesy of Carol & Trevor Deane, Dorrigo, New South Wales)

Pupation has been found in a tough brown cocoon. The cocoon has a length of about 3 cms.

empty cocoon
(Photo: courtesy of Carol & Trevor Deane, Dorrigo, 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.

previous caterpillar

Australian butterflies

Australian Lepidoptera

Australian moths

next caterpillar

(updated 28 February 2011, 28 February 2026)