and is sometimes a pest on :

It pupates without a cocoon under the soil, taking up to a year to metamorphose. The pupa is dark brown and has a length of about 1.5 cms.

male
(Photo : courtesy of Evan Harris)

The adult moths have a wide wingspan (male 5 cms., female 6 cms.) for their body length : 1.5 cms. The wings have scalloped edges, and wavy patterns of light and dark brown. The overall colour is quite variable, sometimes being nearly black all over. The moths normally rest with wings flat and all four wings exposed.

female adult
(Photo: courtesy of Jeff Keyes, Sportsman Creek Wildlife Refuge)

The female moths especially have a conspicuous pale bar across the inner part of the costa of both forewings, extending also across the thorax. The females also have thread-like antennae

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

The male moths often only have some white spots on the leading edge of each forewing. The males have feathery antennae.

The eggs are pale green and ellipsoidal. They are laid in flat groups of up to 50 on the leaves of foodplants.

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

The moth occurs along most of the eastern side of Australia including:

male, showing underside
(Photo : courtesy of Donald Hobern, Aranda)

Further reading :

Ian F.B. Common,
Moths of Australia, Melbourne University Press, 1990, figs. 36.3, 36.4, pp. 67, 367.

Pat and Mike Coupar,
Flying Colours, New South Wales University Press, Sydney 1992, p. 50.

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(updated 21 January 2013)