Chiasmia inconspicua (Warren, 1897)
 (previously known as Tephrina inconspicua)
MACARIINI,   ENNOMINAE,   GEOMETRIDAE,   GEOMETROIDEA
 
Don Herbison-Evans
(donherbisonevans@yahoo.com)
and
Stella Crossley


(Photo: courtesy of Ricky Taylor, Botswana)

These caterpillars were introduced in 1998 from Kenya to control the introduced weed :

  • Prickly Acacia ( Acacia nilotica, MIMOSACEAE ).

    The caterpillars feed on its leaves.

    The adult moths are pale brown with a dark submarginal line on each forewing. The moths have a wingspan of about 2.5 cms.

    The species has been found across Africa, including

  • Botswana, and
  • South Africa,

    but now appear to have died out where they were introduced into Australia in

  • Queensland

    Further Reading

    W.A. Palmer, C.J. Lockett, K.A.D.W. Senaratne, and A. McLennan,
    The introduction and release of Chiasmia inconspicua and C. assimilis (Lepidoptera: Geometridae) for the biological control of Acacia nilotica in Australia,
    Biological Control,
    Volume 41, Number 3 (2007), pp. 368-378.

    William Warren,
    New genera and species of moths from the Old-World regions in the Tring Museum,
    Novitates Zoologicae,
    Volume 4 (1897), p. 113, No. 268.

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    (written 25 January 2005, updated 22 January 2026)