Hairy Mary - Anthela varia
Family Anthelidae
- This page contains information about Hairy Mary Caterpillars that we found in the Brisbane area, Queensland, Australia.
- Caterpillar 70mm
- The young Hairy Mary Caterpillars are black in colour with long white grey hairs. They grow to about 70mm and become brown with long dense tufts of white hairs.
- 35mm long Hairy caterpillar feeding on gum tree leaf. One week later, at same area found another similar caterpillar, with 90mm in length. The caterpillar body is dark brown to black in colour, with long white hair. Notice there are two row of white spots on its back. The second picture shows it head, it is feeding on gum tree leaf.
- Above picture taken in Karawatha Forest during mid summer.
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- They pupate in double-walled cocoon among dead leaves.
- The moths are vary in colour from pale brown yellow to brown, with brown wavy lines and patterns. The female moth is slight large in size with wingspans up to 90mm.
- Reference:
- 1. Anthela varia - Australian Caterpillars by Don Herbison-Evans & Stella Crossley, 2004.
- 2. A Guide to Australian Moths - Paul Zborowski, Ted Edwards, CSIRO PUBLISHING, 2007, p156.
