Palpita austrounionalis Inoue, 1997
Australian Jasmine Moth
 SPILOMELINAE,   CRAMBIDAE,   PYRALOIDEA
 
Don Herbison-Evans
(donherbisonevans@yahoo.com)
and
Stella Crossley


This Caterpillar is green, shading blueish toward the head and the tail. When disturbed, it is inclined to wriggle violently, or drop on a thread. This species is an international pest, feeding on

  • Olive ( Olea europaea, OLEACEAE ),
  • Privet ( Ligustrum vulgare, OLEACEAE ),
  • Jasmine ( Jasminum officinale, OLEACEAE ), and
  • Strawberry Tree ( Arbutus unedo, ERICACAE).

    The caterpillar starts life as an egg which is white and shaped as a flattened sphere. The caterpillars are initially yellow, later becoming green. They grow to a length of about 2 cms.


    (Specimen: courtesy of the Macleay Collection, Chau Chak Wing Museum, University of Sydney)

    The adult has shiny white translucent wings. The forewings each have a brown leading edge, and two black spots in the middle. The moths have a wingspan of about 3 cms.

    The species has been found in Australia in

  • New Guinea,

    as well as in Australia in

  • Queensland, and
  • New South Wales,
  • Victoria, and
  • South Australia, and
  • Western Australia.

    The species Palpita vitrealis Rossi 1794, (synonym : Palpita unionalis Hübner 1796) is superficially similar to Palpita austrounionalis, but is only found to the west of Burma. It differs in the genitalia from Palpita austrounionalis although it is superficially similar.

    Further reading :

    Hiroshi Inoue,
    Revision of the genus Palpita Hübner (Crambidae, Pyraustinae) from the eastern Palaearctic, Oriental and Australian regions,
    Tinea, Tokyo,
    Volume 15, Part 2: Group B (1997), p. 143, fig. 187.

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    (updated 31 January 2013, 5 May 2025)