Ochrogaster lunifer and its caterpillars have been covered before in this post, but there’s always room for another episode. The trunks of the garden eucalypts are always worth checking out for interesting subjects, and they recently delivered twice. On the first occasion a thumb nail size cluster of very small hairy caterpillars was found on a Brittle Gum, (E. mannifera) and an educated guess suggested Ochrogaster lunifer.
On the second occasion another very small cluster of the same caterpillar was also discovered on a Brittle Gum, and further down the trunk was a procession of six slightly larger individuals wandering about and confirming the identification. Interestingly the cluster of eight larvae had not long moulted and were probably second instars, 9 mm long. The first image shows them with the moulted skins and one dead larva, the second shows them after the debris was flicked away with a Willie Wagtail feather found at the base of the trunk.
The small procession wandered about on the trunk for some time with no apparent motive, but some time later they were found together in a spot where they may have felt somewhat camouflaged and safe from predation.
The literature notes that acacias are the main food plants, with eucalypts a rarer alternative choice. As eucalypt foliage varies greatly in oil composition and concentration it may be that some species are more acceptable to the larvae. With fifteen species in the front garden they have plenty of choice, and the adult moths are by no means uncommon.
Click to enlarge.
