They pupate in a cocoon covered in red hairs from the caterpillar.

The male and female adult moths of this species look different. They both have grey forewings but with different patterns. The hindwings are quite different, but they both have an orange hairy abdomen.

The male moths have indistinct dark lines across the forewings, and each forewing has a clear white spot. The hindwings of the males are pale yellow with a broad dark grey margin, and each hindwing has a dark line across the middle. The wingspan of the male is about 6 cms.

The female moths have a white submarginal zizgzag line on each forewing, and each forewing has a tiny white spot. The hindwings of the females are grey, and each hindwing also has a a white submarginal zizgzag line. The wingspan of the female is about 7 cms.

female
(Photo: copyright Peter Marriott,
Specimen: courtesy of Australian National Insect Collection, Canberra.)

The species occurs in eastern Australia, including:

Further reading:

Ian F.B. Common,
Moths of Australia, Melbourne University Press, 1990, pl. 13.8, p. 395.

Peter Marriott,
Moths of Victoria: Vol 1: Bombycoidea,
Entomological Society of Victoria, 2008, pp. 22-23.

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(updated 24 February 2009)