Mesodrepta harpotoma Turner, 1924
 THAUMETOPOEINAE,   NOTODONTIDAE,   NOCTUOIDEA
 
Don Herbison-Evans
(donherbisonevans@yahoo.com)
and
Stella Crossley

Mesodrepta harpotoma
(Photo: Don Herbison-Evans, Bundaberg, Queensland)

These Caterpillars are covered in long white bristles, and have a rusty-red mark on the back of each segment. They also have black pencils of hairs on the head and on the penultimate abdominal segment. They were found feeding on:

  • Black Wattle ( Acacia leiocalyx, MIMOSACEAE )

    in Bundaberg, Queensland. Initially they are communal and drop on threads if disturbed.

    Mesodrepta harpotoma
    (Photo: Don Herbison-Evans, Bundaberg, Queensland)

    Later they disperse to become solitary feeders. They stay on their chosen food leaf during the daylight. Their pattern of coloration resembles that of the dead flowers of the foodplant. They grow to a length of about 3 cms.

    Mesodrepta harpotoma
    (Photo: courtesy of Trevor Jinks, North Burnett, Queensland)

    The adult moths are white, with a dark brown diagonal line across each fore wing, and a dark brown abdomen. They have a wingspan of about 3.5 cms.

    Mesodrepta harpotoma
    (Photo: Don Herbison-Evans, Bundaberg, Queensland)

    The species has been found in:

  • Queensland,
  • New South Wales, and
  • Victoria.

    Mesodrepta harpotoma
    (Specimen: courtesy of Macleay Museum, University of Sydney)

    Further reading :

    Ian F.B. Common,
    Moths of Australia,
    Melbourne University Press, 1990, fig. 43.2, p. 425.

    A. Jefferis Turner,
    Revision of Australian Lepidoptera. Lasiocampidae,
    Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales,
    Volume 49 (1924), p. 401.

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    (updated 7 April 2013, 29 October 2020)