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Australian Wildlife

  Southern Old Lady Moth (Dasypodia selenophora)





Southern Old Lady Moth | Dasypodia selenophora photo
Southern Old Lady Moth

Image by Donald Hobern - Some rights reserved.    (view image details)







INSECT FACTS

Identification
The Southern Old Lady Moth Adult is mainly brown above with orange-brown underside. Each forewing has a large blue and black eye spot on the upper surface, with wavy dark lines running from the eyespot to the inner edge of the wings. The underside of the forewings has a small black spot. The caterpillar is brown with small black spots on the back, orange head and legs, and two small horns on the second last body segment.

Size
wing span to 9cm

Food
Larvae feed on wattle trees including Tan Wattle ( Acacia decurrens ), Cootamundra Wattle ( Acacia baileyana ), Golden Wattle ( Acacia pycnantha ), and Silver Wattle ( Acacia dealbata ).

Breeding
Found in forest, woodland or gardens with wattle trees. Sometimes flies into houses and rests on a wall.



Classification
Class:Insecta
Order:Lepidoptera
Family:Noctuidae
Genus:Dasypodia
Species:selenophora
Common Name:Southern Old Lady Moth