Theretra queenslandi
Encyclopedia
Theretra queenslandi is a moth
of the Sphingidae
family. It is known from New South Wales
and Queensland
.
The wingspan
is about 60 mm. Adults have light brown forewings with a dark stripe running from the base to the apex. There is a dark dot near the middle of the costa. The hindwings are darker brown.
The larvae feed on Dendrocnide excelsa
. The early instars are green with a dark straight tail horn, and a pair of blue eye markings on the first abdominal segment. Later instars have two colour forms, green and brown. Both forms have a pair of green and white eyespots, one each side of the first abdominal segment. They have a strong reddish backward curving horn on the last segment. Pupation takes place in a slender, mottled brown pupa.
Moth
A moth is an insect closely related to the butterfly, both being of the order Lepidoptera. Moths form the majority of this order; there are thought to be 150,000 to 250,000 different species of moth , with thousands of species yet to be described...
of the Sphingidae
Sphingidae
Sphingidae is a family of moths , commonly known as hawk moths, sphinx moths and hornworms, that includes about 1,200 species . It is best represented in the tropics but there are species in every region . They are moderate to large in size and are distinguished among moths for their rapid,...
family. It is known from New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
and Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
.
The wingspan
Wingspan
The wingspan of an airplane or a bird, is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777 has a wingspan of about ; and a Wandering Albatross caught in 1965 had a wingspan of , the official record for a living bird.The term wingspan, more technically extent, is...
is about 60 mm. Adults have light brown forewings with a dark stripe running from the base to the apex. There is a dark dot near the middle of the costa. The hindwings are darker brown.
The larvae feed on Dendrocnide excelsa
Dendrocnide excelsa
Dendrocnide excelsa, the giant stinging tree is a rainforest tree of eastern Australia. It occurs from Tathra, New South Wales to Imbil in south eastern Queensland, and is very common at Dorrigo National Park and other rainforest walks in eastern Australia...
. The early instars are green with a dark straight tail horn, and a pair of blue eye markings on the first abdominal segment. Later instars have two colour forms, green and brown. Both forms have a pair of green and white eyespots, one each side of the first abdominal segment. They have a strong reddish backward curving horn on the last segment. Pupation takes place in a slender, mottled brown pupa.