Antheraea eucalypti in Tasmania?

[Roger C. KENDRICK]

Hi Miguel,

It may be worth your while checking out Don Herbison-Evans' stuff on Aussie Lep
Larvae (http://linus.socs.uts.edu.au/~don/larvae/moths.html), if you haven't done
so already. You might also get some useful info. from the entomology guys at CSIRO
(they have a website somewhere).

regards,

Roger.



> Miguel de Salas wrote:

> This seems to be a rather American/European affair, but I thought I'd post
> this here:
>
> I live in Tasmania, Asutralia. About three and a half years ago (dec 94) I
> was given a female emperor moth that someone had found. It was in a pretty
> bad state, it laid an egg and died. I reared the caterpillar till the
> adult emerged from the cocoon almost a year later, but it was a male. dead
> end...
> If it had been a female, it might have been able to attract a male and mate...
>
> Anyway, I always assumed it must have been an Antheraea helena, because
> that is the only Saturnid in Tasmania. However, just recently I was
> looking up some references, and noticed that it was not A. helena, but
> probably A. eucalypti.
>
> A. helena is found in most of Eastern Australia, including Tasmania. A.
> eucalypti is only found in the mainland, and not in Tasmania (according to
> the books). The adults are very similar. However, the larvae are very
> different. A. helena larvae look similar to A. pernyi: green, and
> furry/velvety, but no warts.
> A. eucalypti look more like Saturnia pyri larvae: smooth green skin, with
> big warts which have long bristles...
>
> The problem is my larva was very much like A. eucalypti (theoretically not
> found in Tassie) and definetly not like A. helena.
>
> Alas, I have no photos to proe it...:(
>
> --
> Miguel de Salas
> School of Pland Science
> University of Tasmania, Australia

________________________________________________
Roger C. KENDRICK   B.Sc.(Hons.)
PhD student & Demonstrator, Dept of Ecology & Biodiversity
The University of Hong Kong
mailto:kendrick at hkusua.hku.hk
http://web.hku.hk/~kendrick/hkmoth.htm   « Hong Kong Moths »
http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/Canopy/1085/   « H.K. Lepidoptera Group »
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