Entometa fervens (Common Gum Snout Moth)

The caterpillar is brown, and has a prominent projection on the back near the posterior end, and a pair of fleshy filaments behind the head. It is solitary, and feeds at night on a variety of plants in Myrtaceae.If disturbed, the caterpillar rears up its tail and its thorax, tucks its head under the body, displays two pale-blue edged black bands that are normally hidden between segments, and stiffens the two horns behind the head.

The moths are rusty coloured with variable patterns of dotted and zigzag lines, and with stout hairy bodies. The wings of the females vary in colour from orange through brown to cream, The hindwings of the male vary from orange to through brown to black, The moths often have a dark patch under the hindwing, and black antennae which can be used to distinguish them from Entometa guttularis. The adult males have a wingspan up to 5 cms. The females have a wingspan up to 8 cms. The species is found all over Australia, but some variations suggest there may be more than one species being subsumed under this name.