| MACROGLOSSINAE, SPHINGIDAE, BOMBYCOIDEA | (donherbisonevans@yahoo.com) and Stella Crossley |
(Photo: courtesy of
Trevor Jinks,
North Burnett, Queensland)
|
| MACROGLOSSINAE, SPHINGIDAE, BOMBYCOIDEA | (donherbisonevans@yahoo.com) and Stella Crossley |
(Photo: courtesy of
Trevor Jinks,
North Burnett, Queensland)
Early instars of the Caterpillars of this species are brownish green, with a long black forward curving tail spike.
Later instars become either green or brown speckled with pale yellow dots. The 4th and 5th instars have a pale line along each side above the spiracles. which becomes white on the last two abdominal segments, as it approaches the tail spike, which is now straightish.
The caterpillars have been found feeding only on
The caterpillars grow to a length of about 5 cms. They pupate in a loose cocoon amongst the ground debris. The pupa is brown, with large black spots on the abdominal spiracles, and a black dorsal stripe on the thorax.
The adult moths of this species are a glossy grey, which can reflect the colour of the surroundings. There are two indistinct dark bands across each forewing, and a yellow shading at the base of each hindwing. The wingspan is about 5 cms.
The eggs are yellow and oval, with a length of about 1.6 mms. The eggs are laid singly on leaves and stems of a foodplant.
Ths species is found in :
Further reading :
Maxwell S. Moulds, James P. Tuttle and David A. Lane.
Hawkmoths of Australia,
Monographs on Australian Lepidoptera Series, Volume 13 (2020),
pp. 179-181, Plates 42, 76, 88.
Lionel Walter Rothschild & Karl Jordan,
A revision of the Lepidopterous family Sphingidae,
Novitates Zoologicae,
Volume 9 Supplement, Part 1 (1903), pp. 656-657, No. 600, and also
Plate 3, fig. 2.
 caterpillar |  butterflies |  Lepidoptera |  moths |  caterpillar |
(updated 25 April 2010, 5 April 2020)