Thanks Ian and Don - what about the colour? Are they feeding on the berries whilst otherwise engaged and somehow changing their colour? is it an adaptive survival mechanism perhaps so they are not so visible?
Most Geometridae adults have a haustellum, and probably suck juice from the berries, but I was under the impression that the veins in the wings are dried and inactive, so this would not cause a change to wing coloration. However I have found Geometridae larvae in Raspberries and Blackberries. The larvae of Idaea accept dead and live Gum leaves, but maybe they are omnivorous. It would be good to pick a quantity of the Aranda Mulberries, and observe them for a while to see if any larvae emerge as a result of the disturbance.
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