Anthela limonea

Anthela limonea (Butler, 1874)
(previously known as Darala limonea)
ANTHELINAE, ANTHELIDAE, BOMBYCOIDEA

Don Herbison-Evans,
(donherbisonevans@yahoo.com)
and
Stella Crossley

Anthela limonea
first instars with egg cases
(Photo: courtesy of Craig Nieminski, Darwin, Northern Territory)

Early instars of this Caterpillar are yellow with black dorsal markings.

caterpillar with its recently discarded skin of previous instar
(Photo: courtesy of Craig Nieminski, Darwin, Northern Territory)

Later instars of this species are yellow, with two white hair pencils behind the thorax, and with rows of lateral tufts of white hair, and a few scattered black hairs. The head is yellow with two vertical black marks like eyes.

(Photo: courtesy of Craig Nieminski, Darwin, Northern Territory)

The caterpillars have been found feeding on:

Billy Goat Plum. ( Terminalia ferdinandiana, COMBRETACEAE ).

(Photo: courtesy of Craig Nieminski, Darwin, Northern Territory)

The adult moths are yellow to pale brown, with each wing having several dark zigzag transverse lines and one nearly straight pale-edged dark line. The forewings usually have two small black-edged white spots, one of the zigzag lines running between the spots. The wingspan of the male is about 6 cms. The wingspan of the female is about 8 cms.

(Photo: courtesy of Craig Nieminski, Darwin, Northern Territory)

The eggs are white with a black spot and are laid in a line along the edge of a leaf

(Photo: courtesy of Craig Nieminski, Darwin, Northern Territory)

The species has been found in

Northern Territory, and

Queensland,

New South Wales, and

South Australia.