Phallaria ophiusaria Guenée, 1857
 OENOCHROMINAE ,   GEOMETRIDAE

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


(Photo: courtesy of Laura Levens, Upper Beaconsfield, Victoria)

This caterpillar is brown with a hairy pointed knob on the tail. It is often found standing straight at an angle on a branch, resembling a twig. It feeds on a variety of Australian native plants, including:

  • Golden Wattle ( Acacia pycnantha, MIMOSACEAE ),
  • Hopbush ( Dodonea species, SAPINDACEAE ) and
  • Beaked hakea ( Hakea rostrata, PROTEACEAE ).


    (Photo: courtesy of Michael Jefferies, Stanthorpe)

    The adult moth has brown wings with a comma-shaped spot and a diagonal stripe on each wing. The moths have a wingspan of about 7 cms. The colour varies from greenish to orangish.


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

    The species has been found in:

  • Queensland,
  • New South Wales, and
  • Victoria.

    Further reading :

    Ian F.B. Common,
    Moths of Australia, Melbourne University Press, 1990, fig. 36.8, p. 368.

    Pat and Mike Coupar,
    Flying Colours, New South Wales University Press, Sydney 1992, p. 49.

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    (updated 13 January 2011)