Ericeia subsignata (Walker, 1858)
 (previously known as Diatenes subsignata)
Spotted Ericeia
EREBINAE,   EREBIDAE,   NOCTUOIDEA
 
Don Herbison-Evans
(donherbisonevans@yahoo.com)
and
Stella Crossley

Ericeia subsignata
(Photo: courtesy of Craig Nieminski, Darwin, Northern Territory)

This caterpillar is green, with a thin white dorsolateral line along each side. The head is pale brown with black speckles. The caterpillar has been found feeding on

  • Wild Gardenia ( Gardenia megasperma, RUBIACEAE ).

    Ericeia subsignata
    (Photo: courtesy of Donald Hobern, Aranda, Australian Capital Territory)

    The adult moth is pale grey or brown with dark spots and blotches. The wingspan is around 3.5 cms.

    Ericeia subsignata
    underside
    (Photo: copyright of Brett and Marie Smith, at Ellura Sanctuary, South Australia)

    The species has been found over much of Australia, including

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

    Further reading :

    Peter Marriott,
    Moths of Victoria - Part 8,
    Night Moths and Allies - NOCTUOIDEA(B)    ,
    Entomological Society of Victoria, 2017, pp. 20-21.

    Francis Walker,
    Catalogue of Lepidoptera Heterocera,
    List of the Specimens of Lepidopterous Insects in the Collection of the British Museum,
    Part 13 (1858), p. 1044, No. 4.

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    (updated 29 April 2013, 9 April 2017, 27 October 2020)