Anthela ocellata

Anthela ocellata (Walker, 1855)
(one synonym : Darala dama)
Eyespot Anthelid
ANTHELINAE, ANTHELIDAE

Don Herbison-Evans ( donherbisonevans@yahoo.com )
&
Stella Crossley

(updated 3 June 2006)

This is a brown hairy Caterpillar with a brown and black head capsule divided by a central pale inverted Y, making its head look as though it has two large brown eyes. It is hairy with two longer tufts on the thorax looking like a pair of horns.

(Photo: courtesy of Carol Buchanan)

There is a double row of pink spots all along the back.

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

It feeds on various Grasses ( POACEAE ), including:

Stebbin's Grass ( Ehrharta erecta).

When disturbed, the Caterpillar rolls into a tight spiral, with its head in the centre. The Caterpillar grows to a length of 5 cms.

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

In the wild, it pupates in a buff papery double-walled cocoon in the debris on the ground. In captivity, it crawls to the top of the container to pupate.

Female
(Specimen: courtesy of the Macleay Museum, University of Sydney)

The moths are buff with two dark brown spots on each forewing, and light margins. They have a wingspan up to 6 cms.

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

The species occurs along the east coast of Australia from Bundaberg to Hobart.

The eggs are buff coloured each with a dark spot, and are laid in a flat cluster. They each have a diameter of about 0.5 mm.

Further reading :

David Carter,
Butterflies and Moths, Collins Eyewitness Handbooks, Sydney 1992, p. 213.

Ian F.B. Common,
Moths of Australia, Melbourne University Press, 1990, p. 396.

Pat and Mike Coupar,
Flying Colours, New South Wales University Press, Sydney 1992, p. 27.

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