Spilarctia erythrastis Meyrick, 1886
 (one synonym : Spilosomia frenchii Lucas, 1898)
ARCTIINI,   ARCTIINAE,   EREBIDAE,   NOCTUOIDEA
 
Don Herbison-Evans
(donherbisonevans@yahoo.com)
and
Stella Crossley

Spilarctia erythrastis
(Photo: courtesy of Graham McDonald, taken in north Queensland))

The adult moth of this species has forewings that are off-white with black spots, sometimes with large brown patch. The hindwings and abdomen are red with variable black markings. The wingspan is about 5 cms.

Spilarctia erythrastis
male, drawing by Hampson, listed as Diacrisia erythrastis,
Catalogue of the Arctiadæ (Arctianæ) and Agaristidæ in the British Museum,
Catalogue of Lepidoptera Phalænæ in the British Museum,
Volumes I-III (1898-1901), Plate XLIV, figure 8,
Image courtesy of Biodiversity Heritage Library, digitized by Smithsonian Libraries.

The species is found in Australia in

  • Queensland.

    Further reading:

    George F. Hampson,
    Catalogue of the Arctiadae (Arctianae) and Agaristidae in the British Museum,
    Catalogue of the Lepidoptera Phalaenae in the British Museum,
    Volume 3 (1901), p. 269, No. 1715, and also Plate 44, figure 8.

    Thomas P. Lucas,
    Descriptions of Queensland Lepidoptera,
    Proceedings of the Royal Society of Queensland,
    Volume 13 (1898), pp. 59-60.

    Graham J. McDonald,
    Moths of Tropical North Queensland,
    Metamorphosis Australia,
    Issue 75 (December 2014), pp. 7-12, Figure 5.
    Butterflies and Other Invertebrates Club.

    Edward Meyrick,
    Revision of Australian Lepidoptera. I,
    Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales,
    Series 2, Volume 1, Part 3 (1886), pp. 753-754, No. 92.

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    (written 2 February 2015, updated 18 February 2015)