These Caterpillars are hairy and brown, with a yellow zig-zag line along each side, and with a dark head capsule. The hairs can cause iritation if they contact the skin (Urticaria). The Caterpillars live communally in a shelter on their food plant, made of leaves joined by silk. They hide in the shelter by day, coming out to feed at night. If disturbed, they make a scraping sound inside their shelter.

(Photo: courtesy of the Macleay Museum, University of Sydney)

They feed on the introduced:

Native Cherry ( Exocarpus cupressiformis, SANTALACEAE ).

Male
(Specimen: courtesy of the The Australian Museum)

The adult moths are dimorphic. The male is light brown with a dark band across each forewing.

Female
(Specimen: courtesy of the The Australian Museum)

The females are a uniform dark brown, and have a large tuft of hair on the tail. They both have a wingspan of about 3 cms.

Male
(Photo: courtesy of Merlin Crossley)

The species occurs in the subtropical east of Australia.

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Further reading :

David Carter, Butterflies and Moths, Collins Eyewitness Handbooks, Sydney 1992, p. 211.

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