Plesanemma altafucata McQuillan, 1984
DIPTYCHINI,   ENNOMINAE,   GEOMETRIDAE,   GEOMETROIDEA
 
Don Herbison-Evans
(donherbisonevans@yahoo.com)
and
Cathy Byrne & Stella Crossley


early instar magnified
(Photo: copyright Cathy Byrne)

Initially this caterpillar is pale brown with dark spots, sparse long hairs, and a reddish head and tail.


(Photo: copyright Cathy Byrne)

Later the caterpillar becomes smooth and green, with a pale yellow line running from tip of a sagging horn on the head, along the back of the body, to the purple pointed tip of the abdomen. The rest of the body is green with yellow spots and red spiracles, and the head is purplish red. The feet and prolegs are yellow.


(Photo: copyright Cathy Byrne)

The Caterpillars feed on the foliage of:

  • Gum Trees ( Eucalyptus, MYRTACEAE ).

    The adult moths have dark orange forewings each with three dark spots.


    (Photo: copyright Cathy Byrne)

    At rest, the wings are folded over the back so that the hindwings are obscured. The wingspan is about 7 cms.


    (Photo: copyright Cathy Byrne)

    The eggs are oval and smooth, and laid in a jumbled mass.


    (Photo: copyright Cathy Byrne)

    Initially they are white, but they become purple as hatching approaches.


    (Photo: copyright Cathy Byrne)

    The species only occurs in the highlands of Tasmania.


    Further reading :

    Peter B. McQuillan,
    A new genus for Chlenias fucata Felder and Rofenhofer (Lepidoptera: Geometridae: Ennominae) and a new Tasmanain species,
    Journal of the Australian Entomological Society,
    Volume 23 (1984), pp. 297-306.

    Peter B. McQuillan,
    An overview of the Tasmanian geometrid moth fauna (Lepidoptera: Geometridae) and its conservation status,
    Journal of Insect Conservation,
    Volume 8 (2004), Parts 2-3, pp. 209-220.

    Catherine J. Young,
    Characterisation of the Australian Nacophorini and a Phylogeny for the Geometridae from Molecular and Morphological Data,
    Ph.D. thesis, University of Tasmania, 2003.


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    (updated 23 May 2005)