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Family Notodontidae
- This page contains pictures and information about Wattle Notodontid Moths and
caterpillars that we found in
the Brisbane area, Queensland, Australia.
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 - Length
40mm
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- This
Caterpillar will raise its head and/or tail when disturbed. It will
also display the eye-spots on its tail. The caterpillar is colourful and actively feeding during the day.
They feed on leaves of different species of wattle Acacia.
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- We found this caterpillar feeding on wattle leaves in Karawatha Forest
during late summer. The caterpillar is pinkish-brown in colour, covered with
sparse short hairs.
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- As other caterpillars in the family Notodontidiae, when disturbed, the caterpillar raised its head.
Near its end, there are a pair of eye spots which can open and close.
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- The caterpillar is common in Brisbane bushlands. If found, there were
usually a few of them feeding on leaves during the day.
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- They pupate in cocoon on ground under plant materials. The
adult moth is dull brown in colour. We did not find any yet.
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- The caterpillar is well camouflaged as foliage or seed pods of
wattles.
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- The caterpillar has different body marks to scare away predator. In the
above pictures, it shows its eye-spot pattern on one side and the mouth with
sharp teeth on other side.
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- When disturbed, the caterpillar bend back its head and thorax and shoots
out a pink-purple bifid organ from beneath the head.
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- Reference:
- 1.
Neola semiaurata Walker, 1855 - Don Herbison-Evans & Stella Crossley,
2009.
- 2. Moths
of Australia - I. F. B. Common, Melbourne University Press,
1990, p421, PL.17.12.
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[ Up ] [ Gum Notodontid Moth ] [ Banksia Notodontid Moth ] [ Wattle Notodontid Moth ]
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