Clouded footman ♀, cocoon, eggs (Anestia ombrophanes)
An oval shaped open-weave cocoon made from the hairs of a very hairy caterpillar. The remains of the pupal sheath can be seen within the cocoon.
After the wingless female moth (top, left on matrix) has pupated she emerged to lay her tiny, pearly eggs all over the matrix and died when finished.
The whole structure is about 25mm long.
On a Corymbia maculata trunk in a local nature reserve.
The male moth can be seen here...
The Clouded Footman is a moth of the Arctiidae family. It is known from the Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, Queensland, Western Australia and Victoria.
comments (7)
https://bugtracks.wordpress.com/2013/09/09/cribellate-spiders-and-some-more-thoughts-on-that-mysterious-thing-from-peru/ Posted 9 years ago
Posted 9 years ago
This life cycle is so stunning... it appears that early after it hatches from pupae it starts to lay eggs, most of them infertile, unless a male rush to copulate so that the eggs could be fertilized. I've read it here: http://lepidoptera.butterflyhouse.com.au/arct/ombroph.html Great capture and a great find indeed! Cheers* Posted 9 years ago