Pollanisus empyrea (Meyrick, 1888) (one synonym is Procris amethystina Meyrick, 1888) PROCRIDINAE,   ZYGAENIDAE,   ZYGAENOIDEA

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

female
(Photo: courtesy of Jordan, Kwinana, Western Australia)

This caterpillar is brown and hairy.

female
(Photo: courtesy of Centre for Biodiversity Genomics, University of Guelph)

The adult moths of this species are black with a bronze iridescence. The abdomen of the female has a bunch of gold hairs on the tip. The antennae of the female are threadlike, and the antennae of the male are pectinated. The wingspan of both sexes is about 1.8 cms.

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

The species has been found in:

Western Australia

---

Further Reading:

Gerhard M. Tarmann,
Zygaenid moths of Australia,
CSIRO Publishing 2004, pp. 59, 65, 67, 73-76, 79-81, 111, 119, 127, pls. 8, 64.

Edward Meyrick,
Revision of Australian Lepidoptera II,
Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales,
Series 2, Volume 2, Part 4 (1888), p. 927.

---

previous caterpillar

Australian butterflies

Australian Lepidoptera

Australian moths

next caterpillar

(written 16 December 2018, updated 19 June 2024)