LYMANTRIIDAE species D LYMANTRIINAE,   EREBIDAE,   NOCTUOIDEA

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

(Photo: courtesy of Tim Leach, Australian National Botanical Gardens, Australian Capital Territory)

This Caterpillar was generally hairy all over, with a broad black dorsal line, and alternating black and off-white lines along the sides. It had a red head, and four yellow marks on the thorax. The caterpillar had one dark and two pale brown tufts on its back, two hair pencils on the head, one hair pencil on the rear, and red warts on the two antipenultimate abdominal segments. The caterpillar had a length of about 2 cms.

(Photo: courtesy of Tim Leach, Australian National Botanical Gardens, Australian Capital Territory)

The caterpillar has been found on

Indian Hawthorn ( Rhaphiolepis indica “Oriental Pearl”, ROSACEAE ).

(Photo: courtesy of Michael Meynell, Central Coast, New South Wales)

The caterpillar has been found in

Australian Capital Territory.

The caterpillar resembles that of a male Olene mendosa in being generally black, having two head hair pencils, dorsal tufts, a black hair pencil on the tail, and two red dorsal glands, but differs in having yellow dorsal marks on the thorax, only three dorsal tufts, and no white lateral tufts. It could be a variety of that species, or a different instar, or a related species.

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(written 30 January 2019, updated 1 February 2019, 8 September 2020)