Ectropis despicata (Walker, 1860)
Oval Bark Moth
 (formerly known as Tephrosia despicata)
BOARMIINI,   ENNOMINAE,   GEOMETRIDAE,   GEOMETROIDEA
 
Don Herbison-Evans
(donherbisonevans@yahoo.com)
and
Stella Crossley

Ectropis despicata
female
(Photo: courtesy of Marilyn Hewish, Moths of Victoria: Part 7)

The Caterpillar of this species is a brown looper, with a dark spot at the middle of each side. The caterpillar is an agricultural pest on

  • SoyBeans ( Glycine max, FABACEAE ).

    Ectropis despicata
    male
    (Photo: courtesy of Marilyn Hewish, Moths of Victoria: Part 7)

    The adult moth is pale brown, with broken zigzag and curved dark brown lines across the wings. There are pairs of dark dots on the backs of some abdominal segments. The wing margins are serrated. Like most geometrids, the moth rests with wings outspread. The wingspan is about 3 cms.

    The species occurs in:

  • Queensland,
  • New South Wales,
  • Australian Capital Territory,
  • Victoria,
  • Tasmania, and
  • South Australia.

    Further reading :

    Marilyn Hewish,
    Moths of Victoria: Part 7,
    Bark Moths and Allies - GEOMETROIDEA (D)    ,
    Entomological Society of Victoria, 2016, pp. 30-31.

    Francis Walker,
    Geometrites,
    List of the Specimens of Lepidopterous Insects in the Collection of the British Museum,
    Part 21 (1860), p. 418, No. 48.

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    (written 21 January 2017, updated 9 July 2018, 23 September 2020)