This Caterpillar starts as a pale green dome-shaped egg laid on the surface of a foodplant leaf. The egg develops a brown ring after a few days.

The Caterpillar is very colourful, being mainly bluish green, with a pair of lemon lines extending along most of the back. The thorax has a mid-dorsal purple streak, and there are purple dots below the lemon lateral lines, one per segment. The spiracles are bright orange and ringed with grey and purple. The head is mainly green, except the face is mauve, and there is a purple patch above each antenna. The mouth parts are pink, and include a pair of fleshy flaps which protrude forward. The Caterpillar is tapered at both ends. It is also especially sensitive to light, and will turn away from it.

It feeds on various species of:

have brighter spiracles.

Caterpillars of Sorama bicolor born in March in Melbourne pupated about 45 days later. They pupated in a cocoon in the ground litter. In Melbourne in May, the pupal duration was from 26 to 35 days.

(Photo: courtesy of Merlin Crossley)

The adult moth has a hairy body with blue-black scales on the thorax, rusty brown forewings, and plain cream hind wings. The female has a wingspan of about 6 cms, and the male about 4 cms.

(Specimen: courtesy of the The Australian Museum)

---

Further reading :

Pat and Mike Coupar, Flying Colours, New South Wales University Press, Sydney 1992, p. 79.

---

previous caterpillar

Australian butterflies

Australian caterpillars

Australian moths

next caterpillar