Dichromodes explanata (Walker, 1861)
Fine-lined Heath Moth
 (previously known as Panagra explanata)
OENOCHROMINAE,   GEOMETRIDAE,   GEOMETROIDEA
 
Don Herbison-Evans
(donherbisonevans@yahoo.com)
and
Stella Crossley

Dichromodes explanata
(Photo: courtesy of Peter Marriott, Moths of Victoria: Part 4)

These Caterpillars have been found feeding on plants in MYRTACEAE, including

  • Cup Fringe-myrtle ( Calytrix involucrata ), and
  • Fringe-myrtle ( Calytrix tetragona ).

    Dichromodes explanata
    (Photo: courtesy of Peter Marriott, Moths of Victoria: Part 4)

    The adult moths are brown with various patchy dark markings, including one or two dark-edged pale zig-zag lines across each forewing. The hindwings are plain pale brown. The females have threadlike antennae. The males have unipectinate antennae. The labial palps are held in front of the head. The wingspan is about 2.5 cms.

    The species has been found in :

  • New South Wales,
  • Australian Capital Territory,
  • Victoria,
  • South Australia, and
  • Western Australia.

    Further Reading

    Peter Marriott,
    Moths of Victoria: Part 4,
    Emeralds and Allies - GEOMETROIDEA (B)    ,
    Entomological Society of Victoria, 2012, pp. 24-25.

    Francis Walker,
    Geometrites,
    List of the Specimens of Lepidopterous Insects in the Collection of the British Museum,
    Part 23 (1861), p. 1009, No. 49.

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    (updated 20 June 2013, 23 October 2022)