Leptocneria reducta at Higgins, ACT

White cedar moth at Higgins, ACT

Request use of media

Identification history

	Leptocneria reducta	28 Jan 2021	donhe
	Leptocneria reducta	27 Jan 2021	AlisonMilton

Identify this sighting

Please Login or Register to identify this sighting.

Author's notes

Photo 1: newly emerged. Photos 2-5 taken earlier on 24 January. Photo 2: the pupae still intact. Photo 3: I almost missed the small male under the wing of the larger female. Photo 4: the male and Photo 5: an empty pupae case. Interesting that though the larvae feed on the White Cedar tree, they pupate under the bark of the nearby gum tree.

2 comments

donhe wrote:

28 Jan 2021

That is one reason why they are a pest. When they wish to pupate, mature caterpillars go walkabout, seeking somewhere nice to pupate. Some travel up to 50 metres from their food tree, invading homes, garages, sheds, cars, anywhere, in their search.

AlisonMilton wrote:

28 Jan 2021

Numbers haven't been so bad lately but there was one year (perhaps 10 years or so ago) when the whole base of the White Cedar tree was covered in hundreds of caterpillars. Luckily have not seen them like that again.

Please Login or Register to comment.