Phyllodes imperialis

Phyllodes imperialis H.Druce, 1888
(one synonym : Xenodryas meyricci)
Imperial Fruit Sucking Moth
CATOCALINAE , NOCTUIDAE

Don Herbison-Evans ( donherbisonevans@yahoo.com )
and
Stella Crossley & John Moss

Phyllodes imperialis
(Photo: courtesy of Neil Hewett, Cooper Creek Wilderness, North Queensland)

This spectacular larva is mainly brown or grey, with diagonal shading and thin wiggly white lines. There is a variable black, yellow, and red mark each side of the first abdominal sement.

(Photo: courtesy of Kath Vail, Middle Pocket, NSW)

The final abdominal segments are elongated with a big black mark outlined in white underneath. The legs and prolegs sometimes have red markings.

(Photo: courtesy of David Johnston, Witta, Queensland)

If molested, the caterpillar bends its head downwards beneath the raised front portion of its body, stretching the skin on its dorsum, revealing what appears to be a pair of large, blue-black 'eyes' and a double row of white teeth-like markings: a most remarkable effect which would be sufficient to startle any potential avian, reptilian or mammalian predator.

(Photo: courtesy of Kath Vail, Middle Pocket, NSW)

The caterpillar has a final instar that is about 12 cms long. The caterpillar feeds on vines from the plant family MENISPERMACEAE, such as :

Carronia Vine ( Carronia multisepala )
in the Blackall Ranges., and

Milk Vine ( Pycnarrhena australiana )
in north Queensland..

(Photo: courtesy of Kath Vail, Middle Pocket, NSW)

As well as the spectacular appearance of the larva, the pupa is also similarly endowed, exhibiting what resembles transparent circumferential panels on every abdominal segment. It is difficult to imagine what function this serves, considerig the larva usually encloses itself in a thin silk cocoon, woven loosely into dead leaves on the ground.

(Photo: courtesy of Cooper Creek Wilderness)

The forewings are chocolate brown and leaf-shaped, with an irregular white mark near the middle. When at rest, the forewings cover the hindwings in a 'steep, peaked roof' shape, and the insect disappears from view; any potential predator seeing what appears only to be a dead leaf: a good example of leaf crypsis.

(Photo: courtesy of Buck Richardson, Kuranda)

The hindwings have large pinkish-red central area. The expanded forewing size of the adult varies from 13 to 17 cms.

The insect occurs in rainforest from:

north-eastern Queensland to

northern NSW,
and overseas in

Papua New Guina,

Solomons,

Vanuatu, and

New Caledonia.

Illustration 2, Plate CCXI, Hampson 1903-1913,
(Courtesy of Joe Kunkel, University of Massachusetts)

Several subspecies have been noted, including :

dealbata Holloway, 1979 (New Caledonia),

meyricci Hampson, 1913,

papuana Hampson, 1913, and

an as yet unnamed southern subspecies.

(Photo: courtesy of Cooper Creek Wilderness)

The moths feed on the juice of fruit that has been damaged in some way, although they do not damage fruit themselves as they do not have the saw-like proboscis found in other genera of CATOCALINAE.