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.
- Wingspan 70mm
- In late summer 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 few weeks ago 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.
