(one synonym : Phlegetonia conspicienda Walker, 1858) Dark Euteliid EUTELIINAE, EUTELIIDAE, NOCTUOIDEA | (donherbisonevans@yahoo.com) and Stella Crossley |
(Photo: Don Herbison-Evans, Bundaberg, Queensland)
These Caterpillars initially are a translucent yellow. Later they become green speckled with yellow spots, with a yellow line along each side, and a green head.
The caterpillars have been found feeding on the young shoots of plants in MYRTACEAE, including:
The caterpillars later become brown with a brown head, and ultimately red, still speckled with yellow spots, and with a dark brown head.
The caterpillars grow to a length of about 4 cms. They pupate in ground debris in the vicinity of their foodplant.
The forewings of the adult moth vary from black to dark brown. With the paler colour, a complex pattern can be discerned. In its natural posture, the hindwings of the moth are covered by the forewings, and the tip of the abdomen is curled upward. If the moth is lying on its back, it can flip itself over using its abdomen.
The moths have satin grey hindwings with a dark border. The moths have a wingspan of about 4 cms.
The species has been found around the west Pacific, including:
as well as in Australia in:
Further reading :
Ian F.B. Common,
Moths of Australia,
Melbourne University Press, 1990, fig 47.16, p. 456.
Achille Guenée,
Noctuélites,
in Boisduval & Guenée:
Histoire naturelle des insectes; spécies général des lépidoptères,
Volume 9, Part 6, Section 1 (1852), p. 302, No. 1108.
Peter Marriott,
Moths of Victoria - Part 8,
Night Moths and Allies - NOCTUOIDEA(B),
Entomological Society of Victoria, 2017, p. 5.
Francis Walker,
Noctuidae,
List of the Specimens of Lepidopterous Insects in the Collection of the British Museum,
Part 15 (1858), p. 1748, No. 1.
caterpillar | butterflies | Lepidoptera | moths | caterpillar |
(updated 14 April 2013, 20 August 2020)