CATOCALINAE of Australia
Underwings and Owlets
NOCTUIDAE

Don Herbison-Evans ( donherbisonevans@yahoo.com )
&
Stella Crossley

(updated 7 October 2008)

The Caterpillars of CATOCALINAE are usually smooth, lacking obvious hairs. Many have one or more pairs of prolegs missing, and so move in a looping fashion.

Some of the adult moths of CATOCALINAE have brightly coloured hind wings which are normally covered (the "underwings"), and some have eye-shaped markings on the wings (the "owlets"). The CATOCALINAE moths also include a number pests which puncture fruit in order to feed on the juice.

Some taxonomists list this group of species as a family CATOCALIDAE, or as a subfamily of EREBIDAE, but here following Nielsen et al., we include it as a subfamily of the NOCTUIDAE.

Some common species of the 353 named Australian species in CATOCALINAE are:

  • Acantholipes juba

    Achaea argilla
    Achaea janata : Croton Caterpillar
    Achaea serva

  • Agamana callixeris
    Agamana cavatalis
  • Agamana pergrata
  • Agamana sarmentosa

  • Alophosoma emmelopis
    Alophosoma hypoxantha

    Amphiongia chordophoides

    Anisoneura aluco

  • Anomis albitibia
    Anomis combinans
    Anomis definata
    Anomis flava
    Anomis involuta
  • Anomis nigritarsis
  • Anomis psamathodes

    Anticarsia irrorata

  • Aroana rubra

    Athyrma subpunctata

  • Audea irioleuca

    Avatha discolor
    Avatha novoguineana

  • Avirostrum pratti

  • Avitta quadrilinea

  • Axiocteta oenoplex
    Axiocteta turneri

    Bocula odontosema

  • Bocula sejuncta

  • Brana calopasa

    Brevipecten captata

  • Calyptra minuticornis

    Chalciope alcyona

  • Chrysopera combinans

  • Conosema pratti

    Crioa acronyctoides

  • Crioa aroa

  • Cultripalpa partita

    Cyclodes spectans

  • Dahlia capnobela

  • Daona constellans

    Dasypodia cymatodes : Northern Old Lady Moth
    Dasypodia selenophora : Southern Old Lady Moth

    Delgamma pangonia

    Dermaleipa metaxantha
    Dermaleipa microrrhoea

    Diatenes aglossoides

  • Diplothecta loxomita

    Donuca castalia
    Donuca lanipes
    Donuca memorabilis
    Donuca orbigera
    Donuca rubropicta
    Donuca spectabilis
    Donuca xanthopyga

    Dysgonia absentimacula
    Dysgonia arctotaenia
    Dysgonia constricta
    Dysgonia dicoela
    Dysgonia frontinus
    Dysgonia hamatilis

  • Dysgonia infractafinis
    Dysgonia latizona
  • Dysgonia propyrrha
    Dysgonia senex
    Dysgonia solomonensis

  • Ecphysis robiginosa

  • Egone atrisquamata

  • Episparis angulatilinea

  • Eporectis phenax

  • Ercheia dubia
    Ercheia ekeikei
  • Ercheia kebea

    Erebus crepuscularis
    Erebus macfarlanei
    Erebus nyctaculis

  • Erebus terminitincta

  • Ericeia pertendens
  • Ericeia sobria

    Eudesmeola lawsoni

    Eudocima aurantia : Fruit Sucking Moth
    Eudocima cocalus
    Eudocima fullonia : Fruit Piercing Moth
    Eudocima iridescens
    Eudocima jordani
    Eudocima materna
    Eudocima salaminia

  • Facidina polystigma

    Fodina ostorius

    Gesonia obeditalis

    Grammodes cooma
    Grammodes geometrica
    Grammodes justa
    Grammodes ocellata
    Grammodes oculata
    Grammodes oculicola
    Grammodes pulcherrima
    Grammodes quaesita

  • Grammodes stolida

    Hamodes propitia

  • Heterormista modesta

    Homodes bracteigutta

  • Homodes crocea
  • Homodes iomolybda

    Hulodes caranea
    Hulodes drylla

    Hyperlopha aridela

  • Hypocala affinis
  • Hypocala deflorata
    Hypocala guttiventris

  • Hyposemansis asbolaea

  • Hypospila dochmotoma

    Ischyja ebusa
    Ischyja manlia
    Ischyja neocherina

  • Lacera noctilio
  • Lacera uniformis

  • Leptotroga costalis

    Lophoruza diversalis

    Loxioda hampsoni

  • Lyncestis melanoschista

    Madope auferens

  • Mecodina bisignata
    Mecodina praecipua

    Mocis alterna
    Mocis frugalis : Sugarcane Looper
    Mocis trifasciata

    Nagia linteola

  • Niguza anisogramma
    Niguza eucesta
  • Niguza oculita
  • Niguza spiramioides

  • Noctua microrrhoea

  • Ophisma gravata

    Ophiusa coronata

  • Ophiusa costiplaga
    Ophiusa discriminans
    Ophiusa disjungens
    Ophiusa hituense
    Ophiusa parcemacula
    Ophiusa tirhaca

    Ophyx ochroptera

  • Ophyx pseudoptera

  • Orthozancla rhythmotypa

  • Oraesia emarginata

  • Oxygonitis sericeata

    Oxyodes scrobiculata Longan Leaf Eating Looper
    Oxyodes tricolor

    Pandesma submurina

  • Pangrapta adoxopis

    Pantydia capistrata

  • Pantydia diemeni
    Pantydia metaspila
    Pantydia sparsa

    Pericyma cruegeri : Poinciana Looper

    Phyllodes imperialis : Imperial Fruit Sucking Moth

  • Phytometra formosalis
    Phytometra laevis

    Pindara serratilinea

    Platyja cyanopasta

  • Platyja exequialis
  • Platyja umminia

    Plusiodonta coelonota

    Polydesma boarmoides

  • Polydesmiola meekii

  • Praxis marmarinopa
    Praxis porphyretica

    Prorocopis euxantha

  • Prorocopis melanochorda
  • Prorocopis transversilinea

  • Pterocyclophora huntei

  • Ramadasa crystallina

    Raparna crocophara

  • Raparna trigramma

  • Rhapsa suscitatalis

  • Rhesala imparata

    Rhesalides curvata

    Rusicada revocans

    Saroba trimaculata

    Serrodes campana

    Speiredonia mutabilis
    Speiredonia obscura
    Speiredonia spectans : Granny's Cloak Moth

    Spirama recessa

    Sympis rufibasis

    Tamba cyrtogramma

    Tathorhynchus fallax

  • Throana blechrodes

    Thyas miniacea

    Trigonodes cephise
    Trigonodes hyppasia

    Tropidtamba lepraota

    Ulothrichopus dinawa

  • Xenogenes chrysoplaca
  • Xenogenes gloriosa
    Xenogenes miranda

  • Zethes alfura

    Link to
    Frequently Asked Questions about Caterpillars

    Australian
    Australian Butterflies
    butterflies
    Australian
    home
    caterpillars
    Australian
    Australian Moths
    moths