Trichiocercus mesomelas

Trichiocercus mesomelas (Walker, 1855)
(formerly known as Trichetra mesomelas)
THAUMETOPOEINAE, NOTODONTIDAE, NOCTUOIDEA

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

Trichiocercus mesomelas
brown saddles, brown tufts, white lateral hairs
(Photo: courtesy of Robin Sharp, Korong Vale, Victoria)

These Caterpillars have a red or brown tuft with a brown saddle on each segment, and a pencil of dark hairs sticking up forwards from behind the head.

brown saddles, scarlet tufts, yellow lateral hairs
(Photo: courtesy of John Birks, Martinsville, New South Wales)

The caterpillars have abundant lateral hairs which can be white or yellow.

empty coccoon, showing hole through which the moth exited
(Photo: courtesy of Robin Sharp, Korong Vale, Victoria)

The caterpillars pupate in a cocoon covered in frass and debris, attache to the underside of a leaf of the foodplant.

female
(Photo: courtesy of Ian McMillan, Imbil, Queensland)

The adult moths have white or brown wings, sometimes with a scattering of black speckles. For females, the head and thorax are covered in hair which is dark brown on top shading to pale brown at each side, and a black hairy abdomen.

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

Males have totally white hair on the head, thorax, and abdomen. The moths have a wingspan of about 4 cms. Both sexes readliy lose hair from the thorax revealing brown shiny skin.

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

When threatened: the moths lie down and curl the abdomen under the body. This display is perhaps 'playing dead'.

male, threat display, showing undersides of wings
(Photo: courtesy of Robin Sharp, Korong Vale, Victoria)

The species has been found in Australia in

Tasmania, and