Common Anthelid Moth - Anthela acuta
Family Anthelidae
This page contains information about Common Anthelid Moths and caterpillars that we found in the Brisbane area, Queensland, Australia.
- Caterpillar 30mm, will grow to 50mm
- The Common Anthelid Moth caterpillar is dark brown in colour with long dark brown hairs, two extra long tufts on the thorax. There are two rows of white dots along the back. The head is dark brown with white adfrontal area. The caterpillar usually hides under bark or leaf during the day, feeds at night. The caterpillar makes a woven cocoon around itself before pupates.
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- Caterpillar 30mm will grow to 50mm, moth wingspan 70mm
- In early summer 2003, we found a large woven cocoon, about 20x40mm, attached among the leaves on a young gum tree. We took it home and put it in a jar. About two weeks later, a moth came out as the above picture.
- Length 50mm
- On Dec 2004, we found this caterpillar on a gum tree trunk. We took it home and wanted to see what math it would turn into. However, it escaped from the jar we kept it and we cannot found it.
- Wingspan 70mm
- In Apr 2005, we found this moth crawling inside our house. When we saw the moth, it could not fly yet and did not walk very well. We believe it just came out from pupa. This might be the caterpillar we collected on Dec 2004 but escarped from the captivity and pupated somewhere inside our house.
- The adult moths are pale brown to brownish grey in colours, with patterns on wings vary between individuals. The moths are active at night.
- Reference:
- 1. Anthela acuta - Australian Caterpillars by Don Herbison-Evans & Stella Crossley, 2007
- 2. Flying Colours, Common Caterpillars, Butterflies and Moths of South-Eastern Australia - Pat & Mike Coupar,1992, p25.
- 3. Insects of Australia and New Zealand - R. J. Tillyard, Angus & Robertson, Ltd, Sydney, 1926, p439.
- 4. A Guide to Australian Moths - Paul Zborowski, Ted Edwards, CSIRO PUBLISHING, 2007, p156.
