Pinara metaphaea

Pinara metaphaea (Walker, 1865)
Pinara Moth
(one synonym : Entometa adusta Walker, 1869)
LASIOCAMPINAE, LASIOCAMPIDAE, BOMBYCOIDEA

Don Herbison-Evans
(donherbisonevans@yahoo.com)
and
Stella Crossley

Pinara metaphaea
early instars
(Photo: courtesy of Steven Dodge, Nowra, New South Wales)

This Caterpillar is hairy and initially black with a white thorax.

intermediate instar
(Photo: courtesy of Steven Dodge, Nowra, New South Wales)

Later intermediate instars become black with long white hairs, and have a pink head with a central broad black stripe, and the prothorax is black with white markings, and has a red knob each side.

intermediate instar : head and thorax close-up
(Photo: courtesy of Steven Dodge, Nowra, New South Wales)

The caterpillars feed on the foliage of :

Gum Trees ( Eucalyptus, MYRTACEAE ).

final instar : head and thorax close-up
(Photo: courtesy of Marlene Walter, Clifton Hill, Victoria)

In the final instar, the head, lateral knobs, and prothorax become yellow with dark markings. The caterpillars grow to a length of about 8 cms.

pupa
(Photo: courtesy of Marlene Walter, Clifton Hill, Victoria)

Most caterpillars pupate in a cocoon in a crevice or in ground debris, although some just pupate naked.

Male
(Photo: courtesy of Peter Hendry, Sheldon, Queensland)

The adult male and female moths are different in appearance.

Male
(Photo: courtesy of Peter Marriott, Moths of Victoria - Part 1)

The male has brown forewings shading darker at the bases, and dark brown hindwings with broad orange margins. The males have a wingspan of about 4 cms.

Female
(Photo: courtesy of Donald Hobern, Blackheath, New South Wales)

The female moth is much larger, and has pale grey or brown forewings, each with a submarginal arc of dark dots. The hindwings are darker with broad white margins. The females have a wingspan of about 6 cms.

Female
(Photo: courtesy of Peter Marriott, Moths of Victoria - Part 1)

The species is found in south-east Australia, including:

Queensland,

New South Wales, and

Victoria.

eggs
(Photo: courtesy of Steven Dodge, Nowra, New South Wales)

The eggs are pale brown and spherical, with a pale circle containing a dark spot, at one end. The eggs are laid in regular arrays of 20-30 on a leaf of a food plant.