Lactura caminaea Meyrick, 1887
Australian Fig Moth
LACTURIDAE,   ZYGAENOIDEA
 
Don Herbison-Evans
(donherbisonevans@yahoo.com)
and
Stella Crossley

Lactura caminaea
(Specimen: courtesy of Bruce Tuxford)

The Caterpillars of this species are slug-like, with no obvious legs. They are white with rusty-brown patches. They feed on:

  • Port Jackson Fig ( Ficus rubiginosa, MORACEAE ),

    and grow to a length of about 1.5 cms.

    They pupate in a papery cocoon between two leaves or in a niche somewhere.

    Lactura caminaea
    (Specimen: courtesy of the The Australian Museum)

    The adult moth has forewings which are scarlet with several yellow spots of various sizes. The hindwings are a silky orange, darkening toward the margin. The male has a wingspan of about 2.5 cms. The female has a wingspan of about 3 cms.

    The species occurs in

  • Queensland, and
  • New South Wales.


    Further reading :

    Ian F.B. Common,
    Moths of Australia, Melbourne University Press, 1990, pl. 7.25, p. 299.

    Edward Meyrick,
    Descriptions of New Lepidoptera,
    Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales,
    Series 2, Volume 1, Part 4 (1887), p. 1044.

    Paul Zborowski and Ted Edwards,
    A Guide to Australian Moths, CSIRO Publishing, 2007, p. 111.


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    (updated 1 November 2010, 26 May 2018, 3 April 2021)