Agonopterix alstroemeriana

Agonopterix alstroemeriana (Clerck, 1759)
Hemlock Moth
(also known as : Agonopterix alstromeriana Linnaeus, 1788)
DEPRESSARIINAE, GELECHIOIDEA

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

Agonopterix alstroemeriana
early instar
(Photo: courtesy of Elaine McDonald, Nicholls Rivulet, Tasmania)

The Caterpillar of this species is initially yellow with a black head, and a brown collar. Later instars become green with three dark stripes along the body, and a yellowish head.

late instar
(Photo: courtesy of Eric Coombs, Oregon Department of Agriculture, Bugwood.org)

The caterpillar lives in a shelter created from rolled leaves and flowers of its foodplant, and feeds on:

Poison Hemlock ( Conium maculatum, APIACEAE ).

The caterpillar grows to a length of about 1 cm. It pupates in the soil. The pupa is rusty brown, with tufts of hair.

(Photo: courtesy of Elaine McDonald, Nicholls Rivulet, Tasmania)

The adult moth has pale fawn forewings, each with various markings including an orange-edged black patch at the middle of the costa. The hindwings are off-white shading to pale brown at the wingtips. The wingspan is about 2 cms.

(Photo: courtesy of Elaine McDonald, Nicholls Rivulet, Tasmania)

The female moth lays a total of about 200 small pale eggs on the undersides of foodplant leaves.

The species over-winters as the adult moth. It is possible that the moths retain poison from their foodplant, and are unpalatable to possible predators.

(Photo: courtesy of SIP Haapala)

The species was originally found in Europe, including

but has been introduced into other countries, some accidentally, and some deliberately, to control the poisonous Hemlock plant which can kill grazing cattle. So the moth can now also be found in

Canada,

New Zealand,

USA,

as well as in Australia in

Victoria, and

Tasmania.

Drawing by Carl Clerk, Icones insectorum rariorum, Sectio Prima (1759), view 21, fig.1,
Courtesy of Gallica, Bibliothèque nationale de France.