Calliteara farenoides

Calliteara farenoides (T.P. Lucas, 1892)
(one synonym : Dasychira queenslandica)
LYMANTRIIDAE

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

Calliteara farenoides
(Specimen: from Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea,
determined as Calliteara horsfieldii)

This Caterpillar is yellow with an orange head and is covered in long pale yellow hairs. These include a tussock on the back of each of the first four abdominal segments.

The larva photographed here from Port Moresby (New Guinea) was found on:

Terminalia ( Terminalia carolinensis, COMBRETACEAE ).

Interestingly, this species or race has dimorphic larvae :- the yellowish one (illustrated) and also a reddish form. The yellowish and reddish forms occurred in same instar larvae reared from eggs from the same female. (Holloway describes the larva of Calliteara horsfieldii only as being yellowish).

male
(Photo: courtesy of Buck Richardson, Kuranda)

The female and male adults are different. The female is white with a few squiggly brown lines on the fore wings.

male
(Specimen: courtesy of the The Australian Museum,
labelled as Dasychira horsfieldii)

The male has more pronounced squiggly lines, and orange hind wings. The female has a wingspan of about 6 cms. The male has a span of about 4 cms.

female
(Specimen: courtesy of the The Australian Museum,
labelled as Dasychira horsfieldii)

The moths called Calliteara horsfieldii are found in the oriental tropics, including :

Hong Kong, and

Borneo.
The moths called Calliteara farenoides are found in:

Queensland.

There are many similar species and races which occur throughout south-east Asia, through New Guinea to Queensland. The Queensland race has been considered to be a subspecies of Calliteara horsfieldii, and named Calliteara farenoides. It not yet entirely clear whether this is a separate species from Calliteara horsfieldii or not.