Forked Grass-moth: Larva 3, dorsal, ~22mm

Class:

Animals (Animalia) - Jointed Legs (Arthropoda) - Insects (Insecta)

Order:

Butterflies & Moths (Lepidoptera)

Family:

Geometer (:Geometridae Ennominae Nacophorini) iNaturalist Observation

Species:

Forked Grass-moth (Ciampa arietaria)

This Photo:

Larva 3, dorsal, ~22mm

Other names:

Brown Pasture Looper or Forked Pasture-moth

Thank you Anthony Paul & Prof Victor W Fazio III† for confirming the id of this species for us

General Species Information:
Found on Ellura (in the Murray Mallee, SA) and elsewhere
A common moth which has some unique characteristics.
The larva curl up at the base of plants looking like new, unfurled leaves.
The adults have a forked horn projection out the front of it's head. It's hairless and not part of the palps; a separate structure.
Males & females have bipectinate (2 rowed) antennae. The male pectinations are very long, while the female's are very short.

This species is

Australian Native Species, not listed in the SA Murray Mallee Survey of 2010.

		<<< Previous Forked Grass-moth Larva 2, camoflague, ~12mm		Next >>> Forked Grass-moth Larva 3, posterior
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