Taxeotis stereospila Meyrick, 1890 Oval-spot Taxeotis OENOCHROMINAE,   GEOMETRIDAE,   GEOMETROIDEA

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

(Photo: courtesy of Donald Hobern, Aranda, Australian Capital Territory)

The adult moths of this species are greyish brown. There is an oval dark spot with a pale centre near the middle of each forewing. Each of the four wings have faint marginal lines, and a dark pair of wavy lines about half way along the hind margin. In its natural posture: these dark lines on fore- and hind- wings are aligned, resembling a mouth, which with the oval spots resembling eyes gives the impression of a monster face.

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

The wingspan is about 2 cms. The males and the females in this genus both have thread-like antennae.

The species has been found in

South Australia.

undersides
(Photo: courtesy of Donald Hobern, Aranda, Australian Capital Territory)

---

Further reading :

Peter Marriott,
Moths of Victoria: Part 4,
Emeralds and Allies - GEOMETROIDEA (B),
Entomological Society of Victoria, 2012, pp. 16-17.

Edward Meyrick,
Revision of Australian Lepidoptera III,
Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales,
Series 2, Volume 4, Part 4 (1890), pp. 1142-1143, No. 2.

---

previous caterpillar

Australian butterflies

Australian Lepidoptera

Australian moths

next caterpillar

(updated 30 March 2013, 27 October 2017, 12 September 2020)