Anestia ombrophanes

Anestia ombrophanes Meyrick, 1886
Clouded Footman
(one synonym: Thallarcha fuscogrisea Rothschild, 1913)
LITHOSIINI, ARCTIINAE, EREBIDAE, NOCTUOIDEA

Don Herbison-Evans
(donherbisonevans@yahoo.com)
and
Mike & Pat Coupar,
and
Stella Crossley

Anestia ombrophanes
(Photo: courtesy of Irene Coates, Warragul, Victoria)

These Caterpillars black with a complex pale yellow pattern on the back of each segment, including two thin pale yellow lines running along the the back. The caterpillars have a row of pink or orange verrucae along each side, and have long fine hairs which project to the front, to the rear, and sideways.

(Photo: copyright of Brett and Marie Smith, at Ellura Sanctuary, South Australia)

The caterpillars feed on primitive plants such as:

Lichen,

Green Algae ( Bracteacoccus species ), and

Black Algae ( Gloeocapsa magma ).

The caterpillars grow to a length of about 2 cms.

male cocoon and pupa
(Photo: copyright of Brett and Marie Smith, at Ellura Sanctuary, South Australia)

The caterpillars form a pupa inside a sparse cocoon made of silk and larval hairs, attached to a fence, a tree, or a wall. The male and female pupae have different colour patterns. The pupae of both sexes is white with scattered black markings. Additionally the male has a row of orange spots along each side.

female cocoon and pupa
(Photo: copyright of Brett and Marie Smith, at Ellura Sanctuary, South Australia)

The female pupa is also white with scattered black markings, but with a row of pink spots along each side, and aso a pink band across each segment.

male
(Photo from: "Flying Colours", Coupar & Coupar, 1992)

The adult male has black and white forewings, and plain pale yellow hindwings. The male moths have a wingspan of about 2 cms.

male
(Photo: courtesy of Peter Marriott, Moths of Victoria - Part 2)

Underneath: the male moth is yellow with black areas at the tips ofeach wing.

male underside
(Photo: copyright of Brett and Marie Smith, at Ellura Sanctuary, South Australia)

The adult female has a length of about 1 cm. She is wingless and flightless, and has a large grey body with pink spots. The female stays near her cocoon, and the male copulates with her there.

female
(Photo: courtesy of Peter Marriott, Moths of Victoria - Part 2)

The species may be found over much of the southern half of Australia, including:

Queensland,

New South Wales,

Australian Capital Territory,

Victoria,

South Australia, and

Western Australia.

eggs laid on an empty cocoon which still contains the pupal and final larval skins
(Photo: courtesy of Daniel Heald, Rockingham, Western Australia)

The eggs are smooth, white and oval, with a diameter of about 1/2 mm, and laid typically by a female in an irregular cluster of 20 to 40, on the cocoon from which she emerged.

male mating with a female on her empty cocoon
on which she has already laid some probably infertile eggs
(Photo: courtesy of Irene Coates, Warragul, Victoria)

There is a suspicion that this is the same species as Anestia semiochrea (Butler 1886) as Butler and Meyrick published nearly simultaneously, and probably had no idea what the other was publishing.