Lacy Emerald (formerly known as Thalassodes insperata) GEOMETRINAE, GEOMETRIDAE, GEOMETROIDEA | (donherbisonevans@yahoo.com) and Stella Crossley |
(Photo: courtesy of Elisabeth Burton, Mallabula, New South Wales)
The typical Caterpillar features are obscured in this animal by extensions to its body: it looks as though it is clothed in armour. A pair of triangular flanges extend sideways on each abdominal segment, and a pair of soft spikes extend from the last segment. Its colour pattern is various shades of cream, red, brown and/or green.
It feeds on:
The Caterpillars take only about 20 days to reach pupation. They grow to a length of about 2 cms.
The pupa is encased in a loose cocoon spun between curled leaves. The pupal duration is about 26 days in summer in Melbourne.
The female and male moths differ. The female is green with wavy white and yellow borders to the wings. She has a wing span of about 3 cms.
The male is also basically green, with a lacy white pattern. The male is slightly smaller than the female, having a wingspan of about 2.5 cms. The adults may be distinguished from those of some other species in this genus as the hind wings have a plain curved edge, with no scalloping.
Eggs hatch after about 20 days in summer in Melbourne.
The species is found over much of Australia, including :
Further reading :
Ian F.B. Common,
Moths of Australia,
Melbourne University Press, 1990, pls. 11.17, 11.18, p. 373.
Peter Hendry,
At the light trap,
Butterflies and Other Invertebrates Club,
Newsletter,
Issue 45 (June 2007), pp. 18-22.
Graham J. McDonald,
Moths - The Weird and the Wonderful,
Butterflies and Other Invertebrates Club,
Metamorphosis Australia,
Issue 68 (March 2013), pp. 13-16.
Peter Marriott,
Moths of Victoria: Part 4,
Emeralds and Allies - GEOMETROIDEA (B),
Entomological Society of Victoria, 2012, pp. 32-33.
Francis Walker,
Geometrites,
List of the Specimens of Lepidopterous Insects in the Collection of the British Museum,
Part 22 (1861), p. 555, No. 21.
caterpillar | butterflies | Lepidoptera | moths | caterpillar |
(updated 29 June 2013, 8 August 2024)