Anthela tetraphrica Turner, 1921 ANTHELINAE,   ANTHELIDAE,   BOMBYCOIDEA

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

male
(Photo: courtesy of Daniel Duval, Mamungari, South Australia)

The adult moth of this species grey forewings, each with two dark black-edged wobbly transverse bands, and two or three black-edged pale orange spots. The hindwings are paler versions of the forewings, each with a dark streak parallel to the costa, and no orange spots.

female
(Photo: courtesy of CSIRO/BIO Photography Group, Centre for Biodiversity Genomics, University of Guelph)

The wingspan of the males is about 5 cms. The wingspan of the females is about 6 cms.

male
(Photo: courtesy of CSIRO/BIO Photography Group, Centre for Biodiversity Genomics, University of Guelph)

The species has been found in:

Western Australia.

female, underside
(Photo: courtesy of Mark Heath, Yellowdine, Western Australia)

The adult moths have vestigial degenerate mouth-parts, like all BOMBYCOIDEA, so cannot feed.

close-up of head underside, female
(Photo: courtesy of Mark Heath, Yellowdine, Western Australia)

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Further reading:

A. Jefferis Turner,
Revision of Australian Lepidoptera — Hypsidae, Anthelidae,
Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales,
Volume 46 (1921), pp. 181-182, No. 32.

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(written 20 October 2017, updated 24 July 2019, 16 August 2020, 16 May 2022)