Page 359 - The Book of Caterpillars: A Life-Size Guide to Six Hundred Species From Around the World

MOTH CATERPILLARS

FAMILY Anthelidae
TRIBUTION
DISTRIBUTION East coast of Australia, Tasmania
DIS
DISTRIBUTION
HABITAT
A
HABITAT T Woodlands, scrub, and coastal scrub
HABIT
HOST PLANTS S Wattle (Acacia spp.)
T PLANT
HOS
HOST PLANTS
NO
TE
NOTE Slender and hairy caterpillar that has stinging hairs
NOTE
A
T
TUS
TION S
A
CONSERVATION STATUS
CONSERVATION STATUS Not evaluated
CONSERV
ADULT WINGSPAN
1 ⁄ –1 ⁄ in (30–40 mm)
CATERPILLAR LENGTH
2 in (50 mm)
NATAXA FLAVESCENS
YELLOW-HEADED ANTHELID 357
(WALKER, 1855)
The female Yellow-headed Anthelid moth lays her creamy,
round eggs in a line along the edge of a leaf or stem of the host
plant. The eggs overwinter, and the caterpillars hatch in spring.
The fast-moving larva is often found on the trunk of the host
plant, and its hairs can irritate if a person or a predator picks
it up. The mature caterpillar spins a cocoon that it positions
in a crevice or under bark, and the adult moth ecloses a
few weeks later.

Yellow-headed Anthelid moths are nocturnal and attracted to
light, and are on the wing in late summer and fall. The sexes look
very di erent—the female is larger with dark gray and white

wings, and the male is smaller with orange, brown,
and cream wings. Anthelidae is a family of lappet moths found
only in Australia and New Guinea. There are 74 named species,
and the caterpillars are typically hairy. The Yellow-headed Anthelid caterpillar is
slender and gray, with a black dorsal stripe
covered in gray hairs and edged in white and
yellow. There are two tufts of black hairs on the
thorax and another at the tail end, red tubercles
behind the head, and tufts of long, gray hairs
the length of the body. The head is brown.

Actual size