Epicoma melanosticta

Epicoma melanosticta (Donovan, 1805)
(one synonym : Eriogaster incompta)
THAUMETOPOEINAE , NOTODONTIDAE

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

Epicoma melanosticta
(Photo: by David Carter, Natural History Museum, London,
courtesy of the Denys Long)

These Caterpillars are dark grey and hairy, with pale spots, and a red neck. They feed nocturnally on various plants from the family MYRTACEAE, including:

Barren's Claw-flower ( Calothamnus validus ),

Murchison's Claw-flower ( Calothamnus homalophyllus ), and

Tea Trees ( Leptospermum ).

Early instars are gregarious, and are precessionary. Later instars are solitary.

female
(Photo: by Susan Foyle, Loftus, N.S.W.)

The female adult moths have grey-brown forewings, each with a large dark patch containing a golden spot near the centre. The hindwings are dark brown.

male
(Photo: courtesy of Donald Hobern, Aranda)

The male adult moths have white forewings, each with a dark patch containing a gold spot, and also each having a dark diagonal line. Both sexes have a very hairy head and thorax. The abdomen of both sexes has a dorsal gold spot on each segment. The forewings of both sexes have black and gold chequered edges and a submarginal arc of white spots. The moths have a wingspan of about 3 cms.

female
(Photo: by Susan Foyle, Loftus, N.S.W.)

The eggs are laid under an irregular fluffy mass of fawn hairs.

egg-mass
(Photo: by Susan Foyle, Loftus, N.S.W.)

The species has been found over most of Australia, including :

Tasmania, and