(Photo: copyright Cathy Young)
Don Herbison-Evans (
donherbisonevans@yahoo.com )
&
Stella Crossley
(updated 26 October 2005)
This caterpillar is initially green with a dark brown dorsal line on the thorax, dark brown dashes on the abdomen, and white spiracles with red outlines. It feeds on the foiliage of :
Later, the caterpillar becomes reddish, especially the head and tail, but retaining the same markings.
The adult moth of this species has pale grey wings with dark veins.
Unusually for Geometrids, it folds its wings tightly along its back when at rest, making a shape that tapers to a point at the end of the abdomen.
The eggs are laid in a close array. Initially they are white with a dark spot, but become darker as hatching approaches. Their shape is roughly spherical with a fine heaxagonal pattern embossed on the surface.
Further reading :
Catherine J. Young,
Characterisation of the Australian Nacophorini and a Phylogeny for the
Geometridae from Molecular and Morphological Data, Ph.D. thesis,
University of Tasmania, 2003.
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