Comostola laesaria (Walker, 1861)
 (one synonym : Eucrostis perlepidaria Walker, 1866)
GEOMETRINAE,   GEOMETRIDAE,   GEOMETROIDEA
 
Don Herbison-Evans
(donherbisonevans@yahoo.com)
and
Stella Crossley

Comostola laesaria
(Photo: courtesy of Ian McMillan, Imbil, Queensland)

This caterpillar is a looper that has been described as pale green or brown. It has been feeding on the flowers of plants from many genera and families, including :

  • Chirauli Nut ( Buchanania species, ANACARDIACEAE ),
  • Mangoes ( Mangifera species, ANACARDIACEAE ),
  • Keima Tree ( Terminalia carolinensis, COMBRETACEAE ),
  • Memecylon ( MELASTOMATACEAE ),
  • Paperbarks ( Melaleuca species, MYRTACEAE ), and
  • Longans ( Dimocarpus species, SAPINDACEAE ).

    The caterpillar pupates in a sparse cocoon incorporating bits of leaf.

    The adult moths of this species are green with several red dots on each wing. The wingspan is about 2cms.

    Comostola laesaria
    underside
    (Photo: courtesy of Dianne Clarke, Mapleton, Queensland)

    This species occurs in the oriental tropics, including :

  • Borneo,
  • Punjab,
  • Sri Lanka,
  • Taiwan,
  • Thailand,

    as well as in Australia in

  • Northern Territory,
  • Queensland, and
  • New South Wales.

    Comostola laesaria
    (Photo: courtesy of Ian McMillan, Imbil, Queensland)

    Further reading :

    Peter Hendry,
    At the light trap,
    Butterflies and Other Invertebrates Club,
    Newsletter Issue 45 (June 2007), pp. 18-22.

    Peter Hendry,
    Mt Glorious- Saturday 28th November 2009,
    Butterflies and Other Invertebrates Club,
    Metamorphosis Australia,
    Issue 56 (March 2010), pp. 32-33.

    Buck Richardson,
    Mothology,
    LeapFrogOz, Kuranda, 2008, p. 17.

    Francis Walker,
    Geometrites,
    List of the Specimens of Lepidopterous Insects in the Collection of the British Museum,
    Part 22 (1861), p. 544, No. 16.

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    (updated 5 September 2009, 13 November 2016, 17 October 2020)