Saturday, December 7, 2013

BIZARRE LOOPER MOTHS

Bizarre looper moths belong to the Order Lepidoptera and Family Geometridae and are found in the northern half of Australia.  They have a wingspan of 25-30mm (up to 1.6 ins). 

Anisozyga pieroides is found in the northern half of Australia.  They have a wingspan of 25-30mm (up to 1.6 ins).  They are active at night and are not very strong fliers.  Males and female are very different: Males are green with a white pattern:


Females are translucent green with brown borders:


Eggs are nearly always of the flat type, although some may be upright and will be laid singly, in pairs or in groups. The bizarre looper moth gets its name from the strange appearance of the caterpillars.  These caterpillars are usually hairless with a slender body.  They are well camouflaged being either green or brown in colour. The mature caterpillars are brown with a flange sticking out of the side of each segment.  Young caterpillars have no flange but stick debris on their backs.


The caterpillars feed on avocado, acacia, roses and macadamia nuts and are active during the day.

Anisozyga metaspila is found in Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria.  Once again the male and female moths differ in this species.  The male is green with narrow brown borders and pale brown veins in the wings.  Unfortunately I could not find a photo of a female of this species or even a description of her  This is the male moth.


The caterpillars are reddish brown, have flanges along each side of their bodies, and a spike on their tails.  They grow to about 2.5cms (1 inch) and move in a looper fashion.  They only have legs at the front and rear of their bodies. 

I believe there are looper moths in other parts of the world but I have concentrated on those said to be found in Australia.  There are also different varieties but I thought these two were quite beautiful and their caterpillars rather unusual.

11 comments:

  1. 'avocado, acacia, roses and macadamia nuts'. Now that is a rich diet!!!
    Bizarre and beautiful. Thank you.

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    1. That's bonzer EC!! Quite a healthy diet though don't you think?
      Not all these posts will be as beautiful as these little creatures but we have to take the bad with the good.

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  2. Sorry Mimsie...I really don't like bugs...don't like looking at them or reading about them.....even though I realize how remarkable they are. I
    ll be back when the bugs are gone lol.

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    1. Sorry Delores but I and others seem quite fascinated to learn more about these tiny creatures. Doesn't mean we like them although some are beneficial to us and our gardens etc. It's just that I love to learn about nature and these are all part and parcel of it.
      You'll have to suggest a theme for my next A-Z when the bugs are all gone. lol

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    2. Perhaps all the different cats. I know you love them and there are some fascinating ones about. Scottish Fold, Turkish Van, and Mexican Hairless Cats... and no doubt many, many more?

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    3. Thanks EC. What an excellent idea and of course there are dogs as well. Perhaps I could do the 3 series together? Cats first of course although I like dogs but they are not my first love. I think there may be an Aba.......cat (well I know what I am thinking of but can't spell it!!)

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  3. Hi Mimsie, this is a wonderful post on these pretty moths and caterpillars. Thank you!

    This next part of my comment is a message to blogs that I visit where I notice there are several links to my posts being left. Please don't think I do this intentionally, it is a blogger thing. I wrote a piece about it a few posts back before my present one, and asked for help in getting them deleted, as I know for some it has become a bit frustrating, quite understandably so. One of my commenters suggested that I can’t do anything at my blog, that blogging friends need to go to their settings, click on Posts and Comments and then Backlinks where it gives a choice to hide or show. When some bloggers have clicked on 'hide', this for the most part has gotten rid of my backlinks and also prevents any others that might follow from other bloggers. I hope I am explaining myself properly but if you read the comments people have left on that post I mentioned, they too are very enlightening. Thanks for listening and have a great week :)

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    1. It's OK about the links on here. I'll tay and follow your instructions if I can but honestly they don't bother me.
      I am glad you liked the pretty moths and thank you for your comment and for popping in.

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    2. Thanks Mimsie, you are a sweet lady :)

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  4. These are so pretty, they look like they're made of lace! That first one especially.

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    1. I thought him almost too pretty to be a boy!! I have to include some 'nice' insects along with the 'not so nice' as they all make up the whole insect world.

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