Opodiphthera eucalypti
1 Emperor Gum Moth at Cook, ACT
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| Opodiphthera eucalypti | donhe | 23 Feb 2023 | |
| Opodiphthera eucalypti | CathB | 20 Feb 2023 |
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User's notes
The same caterpillar shown in previous sightings spun this cocoon on 13 Feb. The first three photos show the caterpillar working inside and the last two show the completed product the next day.
6 comments
20 Feb 2023
I am confused. Which caterpillars? I favour having one beastie - one sighting, and adding the photos, as it changes instar and stage to the initial sighting, showing its changes, without having to jump all over CNM to see them.
20 Feb 2023
The caterpillar is shown in sightings 4471223 and 4465197. All three sightings show this same individual at different stages. Once they are all confirmed as the same species there will be a timeline (clockface icon) connecting the three sightings.
20 Feb 2023
Cath. I agree with Don as seeing them at the final stage without an earlier photo of the caterpillar makes it hard to make an informed ID. I actually have a couple of these in custody as I didn't know what they were when I found them in Whitlam. They have now grown very large but are like the story 'The Hungry Caterpilla'r as they devour any leaves I add every day. Can't wait for them to pupate and will photograph them with interest when they do. @Cathb @donhe
21 Feb 2023
If these are photos of the adolescence of the same individual that had portraits taken as baby photos in 4471233 and 4465197, can you put copies in the latter sighting please so I can see them all at once on my phone?
21 Feb 2023
I have now made a new sighting, 4471275, that shows a selection of photos from various stages in the life of this very hungry caterpillar that ate through huge quantities of eucalypt leaves, mostly E. cinerea, and grew to a length of 8 cm before pupating.
Location information
- Maps Mount Painter
- Places Cook, ACT
Sighting information
- 1 Abundance
- CathB Recorded by
- 25mm to 50mm Animal size
Collections
- CathB Canberra & Southern Tablelands NatureMapr Opodiphthera eucalypti Emperor moths (Saturniidae) Moths (Lepidoptera) Insects
Species information
- Opodiphthera eucalypti Scientific name
- Emperor Gum Moth Common name
- Not Sensitive
- Local native
- Non-invasive or negligible
- Up to 1250.5m Recorded at altitude
- External link More information
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Synonyms
Austrocaligula eucalypti
Record quality
Quality score
6 / 7
- Images or audio
- More than one media file
- Verified by an expert moderator
- Nearby sighting(s) of same species
- Description
- Additional attributes
- GPS evidence of location