Mecytha dnophera

Mecytha dnophera (Turner, 1931)
(formerly known as Parasa dnophera)
LIMACODIDAE, ZYGAENOIDEA

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

Mecytha dnophera
(Photo: courtesy of Dick Whitford, Mt Molloy, Queensland)

The Caterpillar of this species is green with dark speckles and a white dorsal stripe. The caterpillars have a smooth hump-backed shape.

(Photo: courtesy of Dick Whitford, Mt Molloy, Queensland)

The head is normally held tucked under the thorax. The caterpillar has no prolegs, and moves in a slug-like fashion.

(Photo: courtesy of Dick Whitford, Mt Molloy, Queensland)

The head end has two red spikes, and the sides have hairs sticking out like a sparse skirt, which may sting.

vacated cocoon, showing flap removed by the emerging moth
(Photo: courtesy of Dick Whitford, Mt Molloy, Queensland)

The caterpillar has been found feeding on:

Bushman's Pegs (Grevillea glauca, PROTEACEAE).

The caterpillar grows to a length of about 3 cms. It pupates under the soil, in a roughly spherical tough dense cocoon, having a diameter of about 1.5 cms.

(Photo: courtesy of Dick Whitford, Mt Molloy, Queensland)

The adult moth of this species is grey-brown, with a wide pale margin to each forewing. The hindwings are brown, darkening along the hind-margin.

(Photo: courtesy of Dick Whitford, Mt Molloy, Queensland)

The head is black, and the antennae are brown. The thorax has two white lines across it, and also two more: one each side. The legs are hairy, with alternating bands of white and dark brown.

(Photo: courtesy of Dick Whitford, Mt Molloy, Queensland)

The wingspan is about 3 cms.

(Photo: courtesy of CSIRO/BIO Photography Group, Centre for Biodiversity Genomics, University of Guelph)

The species has been found in

Western Australia,

Northern Territory,

Queensland,

New South Wales, and

Victoria.

underside
(Photo: courtesy of Dick Whitford, Mt Molloy, Queensland)