Dysbatus singularis Butler, 1886
Dry-country Line-moth
 (one synonym : Anomoctena trisecta Turner, 1917)
DIPTYCHINI,   ENNOMINAE,   GEOMETRIDAE,   GEOMETROIDEA
 
Don Herbison-Evans
(donherbisonevans@yahoo.com)
and
Stella Crossley

Dysbatus singularis
(Photo: courtesy of Steve Williams, Moths of Victoria: Part 5)

These Caterpillars initially are dark brown, later developing a paler head and dorsal surface. Later instars are green with a diminishing number of dark spots as the caterpillars mature. The caterpillars feed on the foliage of

  • Gum Trees ( MYRTACEAE ).

    Initially the caterpillars eat patches of the surface layer of a leaf, but later instars devour whole leaves from the edge inwards.

    Dysbatus singularis
    female, with friend
    (Photo: courtesy of Marilyn Hewish, Moths of Victoria: Part 5)

    The adult moth is grey sometimes with sandy-brown patches, and with several dark zigzag lines. The dark line from the forewing tip does not penetrate the the submarginal zigzag line, and does not reach the next transverse wavy line. The hindwings are pale with broad dark margins. The wingspan is about 2.5 cms.

    Dysbatus singularis
    female
    (Photo: courtesy of Marilyn Hewish, Moths of Victoria: Part 5)

    The species has been found in:

  • Queensland,
  • New South Wales,
  • Australian Capital Territory,
  • Victoria,
  • Tasmania,
  • South Australia, and
  • Western Australia.

    Dysbatus singularis
    eggs, magnified
    (Photo: courtesy of Steve Williams, Moths of Victoria: Part 5)

    The eggs are off-white and oval, with many tiny dimples. The eggs are laid in small irregular clusters.

    Dysbatus singularis
    underside
    (Photo: courtesy of John Bromilow, Mount Ainslie, Australian Capital Territory)

    Further reading :

    Arthur G. Butler,
    Descriptions of 21 new genera and 103 new species of Lepidoptera Heterocera from the Australian region,
    Transactions of the Entomological Society of London,
    1886, Part 4, pp. 395-396, No. 22.

    Marilyn Hewish,
    Moths of Victoria: Part 5 - Satin Moths and Allies - GEOMETROIDEA (A),
    Entomological Society of Victoria, 2014, pp. 16-17.

    Buck Richardson,
    Tropical Queensland Wildlife from Dusk to Dawn Science and Art,
    LeapFrogOz, Kuranda, 2015, p. 63.

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    (updated 25 August 2011, 16 September 2013, 2 January 2016, 11 November 2017, 19 September 2020)