Apina callisto

Apina callisto (Angas, 1847)
Pasture Day Moth
(one synonym : Amazela calisto)
AGARISTINAE , NOCTUIDAE

Don Herbison-Evans ( donherbisonevans@yahoo.com )
&
Stella Crossley

Apina callisto
(Specimen: courtesy of Rae Calvert, Opossum Bay, Tasmania)

This Caterpillar is dark grey with yellow mottling. A pair of yellow bands run along each side of the back, and red rings occur intersegmentally. The legs are red, and there are red patches on the head. The body and head have sparse thin white spines.

underside
(Specimen: courtesy of Ken Fairey)

The caterpillars have been reported feeding on a variety of herbaceous plants, including :

Pigface ( Carpobrotus rossii, AIZOACEAE ),

Capeweed ( Arctotheca calendula, ASTERACEAE ),

Subterranean Clover ( Trifolium subterraneum, FABACEAE ),

Storksbill ( Erodium species, GERANIACEAE ), and

Sheep's Sorrel ( Rumex acetosella, POLYGONACEAE ).

Sometimes, however, they are an agricultural pest on pastures in Australia.

caterpillar digging a hole in the soil
(Photo: courtesy of Nadine Brown, Swan Reach, South Australia)

In captivity, the Caterpillars burrowed and pupated underground. For Caterpillars collected in Narrabri in September, the adults emerged the following May.

(Photo: courtesy of Merlin Crossley)

The adult has a black thorax and orange abdomen ringed with black. The fore wings above are black with cream and reddish-brown markings. The hind wings are black with a white central area. Underneath, both wings are black a white central area surrounding black discal markings. The upper and under surfaces of both fore and hind wings have a submarginal arc of white dots. The wingspan is about 4 cms. The moth is active during the day.

(Photo: courtesy of Nadine Brown, Swan Reach, South Australia)

The species is found all over the southern half of Australia, including:

South Australia, and

(Photo: courtesy of Nadine Brown, Swan Reach, South Australia)