| Four-spotted Emerald (previously known as Euchloris tetraspila) GEOMETRINAE, GEOMETRIDAE, GEOMETROIDEA | (donherbisonevans@yahoo.com) and Peter Marriott & Cathy Byrne and Stella Crossley |
early instar
(Photo: copyright Cathy Byrne)
|
| Four-spotted Emerald (previously known as Euchloris tetraspila) GEOMETRINAE, GEOMETRIDAE, GEOMETROIDEA | (donherbisonevans@yahoo.com) and Peter Marriott & Cathy Byrne and Stella Crossley |
early instar
(Photo: copyright Cathy Byrne)
When young, these Caterpillars are slim reddish-green loopers with a nobbly head and tail.
Later on they get a pointed head and red prolegs and claspers. The caterpillars have been found feeding on:
The wings of the adult moths of this species are green, making the species a member of the 'Emeralds'. Each wing has a red spot in the middle. The forewings each have an orange costa.
The forewings have recurved margins, and the hindwings each have a definite cusp on the margin, which make it easy to distinguish from the related Emerald Chlorocoma cadmaria.
All four wings have a faint pale wavy line across them, and also have a dark reddish spot in the middle. unlike those of the Emerald Chlorocoma vertumnaria. The moths have a wing span of about 2 cms.
The eggs are pale green, smooth, and ellipsoidal, although they collapse somewhat during development. They are laid singly.
The species has been found in
Further reading :
Oswald B. Lower,
Revision of the Australian Hesperiadae,
Transactions of the Royal Society of South Australia,
Volume 25 (1901), p. 66.
Peter B. McQuillan, Jan A. Forrest, David Keane, & Roger Grund,
Caterpillars, moths, and their plants of Southern Australia,
Butterfly Conservation South Australia Inc., Adelaide (2019), p. 4.
Peter Marriott,
Moths of Victoria: Part 4,
Emeralds and Allies - GEOMETROIDEA (B),
Entomological Society of Victoria, 2012, pp. 34-35.
 caterpillar |  butterflies |  Lepidoptera |  moths |  caterpillar |
(updated 29 June 2013, 3 June 2018, 15 November 2020)