Black & White Tiger Moth
S3, Female, profile
Adelaide Hills
Black & White Tiger Moth
S3, Female, Abdomen, profile
 
                      
Black & White Tiger Moth (Spilosoma glatignyi)Class: Animals (Animalia) - Jointed Legs (Arthropoda) - Insects (Insecta)
Order: Butterflies & Moths (Lepidoptera)
Family: Tiger Moth (:Noctuoidea Erebidae)
Species: Black & White Tiger Moth (Spilosoma glatignyi)
This Photo:     S3, Female, Head
Other names: Black and White Tiger Moth or Woollybear Caterpillar

General Species Information:
Found in the Adelaide Hills, Adelaide Plains and possibly elsewhere
~21mm body & head length, ~55mm wingspan.
This is one of those species that "plays dead" very well.
A spectacular moth with bright orange upper-body, legs & highlights. The upper-body orange is interrupted with a transverse black line/blotch on each segment; with a white tail tuft.
The wings are black or brown & white, with varying patterns. The under body is white with 5 dashed black longitudinal lines/blotches.
Males & females are very difficult to separate. While females are generally larger, this is not always so (both male & female specimens shown here have the same wingspan, with the male having a slightly longer body). They both have bipectinate antennae. The male pectinations, however, are slightly longer. Of the few ventral photo's we can find, the females are missing a front, central black blotch as well. This could be a random colour variation, like the wings. We would be keen on hearing from anyone that can link/send ventral photo's of females with all the black blotches to us

Copyright © 2018-2024 Brett & Marie Smith. All Rights Reserved. Photographed 12-Apr-2018
This species is an Australian Native Species, not listed in the SA Murray Mallee Survey of 2010.