Ectropis mniara

Ectropis mniara Turner, 1917
BOARMIINI, ENNOMINAE, GEOMETRIDAE, GEOMETROIDEA

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

Ectropis mniara
(Photo: courtesy of Carol & Trevor Deane, Dorrigo, New South Wales)

The Caterpillars of this species are fawn with a vague black-edged yellow line along each side interrupted by white patches. The head is brown. The caterpillar is missing the first three pairs of prolegs, so moves in a looper fashion. The caterpillar has been found feeding on

Wombat Berry Vine (Eustrephus latifolius, ASPARAGACEAE).

pupa with last larval skin attached
(Photo: courtesy of Carol & Trevor Deane, Dorrigo, New South Wales)

The caterpillar pupates in a tent-like shelter made by joining two leaves of the foodplant with silk.

(Photo: courtesy of Carol & Trevor Deane, Dorrigo, New South Wales)

The adult moths are a greenish grey with a complex pattern of dark markings, including a small vague dark ring near the middle of each wing. The wingspan is about 3 cms.

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

The species has been found in

Queensland, and

New South Wales.

underside
(Photo: courtesy of Carol & Trevor Deane, Dorrigo, New South Wales)