Anthela repleta (Walker, 1855)
Replete Anthelid
 (one synonym : Ommatoptera diophthalma Herrich-Schäffer, [1856])
ANTHELINAE,   ANTHELIDAE,   BOMBYCOIDEA
 
Don Herbison-Evans,
(donherbisonevans@yahoo.com)
and
Stella Crossley

Anthela repleta
(Photo: courtesy of David Akers, Won Wron, Victoria)

These Caterpillars are a hairy brown with rows along each side of the back of white or yellow verrucae that have tussocks of long black hairs. There are also rows of white verrucae along each side with tussocks of hairs which may vary from off-white to orange.

Anthela repleta
caterpillar wth a red parasite on it's tail
(Photo: courtesy of Peter Marriott, Moths of Victoria: Part 1)

Behind the head, there are often a pair of black hair pencils sticking up, and some long black hairs hanging over the head.

Anthela repleta
close-up of head
(Photo: courtesy of David Akers, Won Wron, Victoria)

When stressed, the caterpillar curls into a spiral with the head in the middle.

Anthela repleta
(Photo: courtesy of David Akers, Won Wron, Victoria)

The caterpillars have been found feeding on various species of Wattles (MIMOSACEAE), including :

  • Black Wattle ( Acacia mearnsii ),
  • Blackwood, ( Acacia melanoxylon ),
  • Gossamer Wattle ( Acacia floribunda ), and
  • Two-Veined Hickory ( Acacia binervata ).

    Anthela repleta
    (Photo: courtesy of Lorraine Jenkins, Port Lincoln Junior Primary School, South Australia)

    The caterpillar pupates in a brown cocoon constructed amongst nearby vegetation.

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

    The adult moths of this species have variable brown or rust colored wings, each crossed by three narrow dark lines, two of which are curved parallel to the margin on each wing, with the marginal line dotted, and a third rather jagged line near the base.

    Anthela repleta
    male
    (Photo: courtesy of David Akers, Won Wron, Victoria)

    Each forewing has two dark spots or small circles. The male moths have a wingspan of about 5 cms. The female moths have a wingspan of about 6 cms.

    Anthela repleta
    female
    (Photo: courtesy of Peter Marriott, Moths of Victoria: Part 1)

    The species is found in

  • New South Wales,
  • Australian Capital Territory,
  • Victoria,
  • Tasmania, and
  • South Australia.

    Anthela repleta
    underside, female
    (Photo: courtesy of Steven Dodge, Nowra, New South Wales)

    Further reading :

    Ian F.B. Common,
    Moths of Australia,
    Melbourne University Press, 1990, fig. 39.16, pl. 28.4, p. 394.

    Peter Marriott,
    Moths of Victoria - Part 1,
    Silk Moths and Allies - BOMBYCOIDEA    ,
    Entomological Society of Victoria, 2008, pp. 16-19.

    Francis Walker,
    Catalogue of Lepidoptera Heterocera,
    List of the Specimens of Lepidopterous Insects in the Collection of the British Museum,
    Part 4 (1855), pp. 896-897, No. 16.

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    (updated 23 March 2011, 13 July 2023)