This caterpillar is smooth and mottled black, with yellow patches on the sides of the abdomen near the front and the back. There is a hump on the tail. The caterpillars are an international pest, attacking fruit, particularly:

Tomatillo ( Physalis ixocarpa, SOLANACEAE ).

The caterpillar grows to a length of about 5cms. It pupates in a sparse cocoon in the soil.

(Photo: courtesy of

The adult moths are brown, with a dark patch on the costa of each forewing. The hindwings that are plain brown fading toward the bases. The moths have a wingspan up to 6 cms.

Norfolk Island, 1976

This species may be found from south-east Asia to the south pacific islands including

Borneo,

Cook Islands,

Fiji,

New Guinea,

Rapa Island,

Taiwan,
and the northern two-thirds of Australia including

Western Australia,

Northern Territory,

Queensland,

New South Wales, and

Norfolk Island.

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Further reading :

Ian F.B. Common,
Moths of Australia, Melbourne University Press, 1990, fig. 49.17, p. 465.

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(updated 8 August 2011)