Bizarre Lopper Moth I - Anisozyga metaspila
Family Geometridae
This page contains information about Bizarre Lopper Moths that we found in the Brisbane area, Queensland, Australia.
- Caterpillar 25mm
- The caterpillar is brown in colour. It body surface is covered with small hard round bumps.
- We found this caterpillar on early summer. This caterpillar camouflaged as part of the stem. We did not know what caterpillar it was until it start moving. It moved in a looper caterpillar walking style then we knew it was a looper. We search among the looper species and find out it was the Bizarre Lopper caterpillar. We took it home with some leaves of the tree the caterpillar rest on.
- Two days later the caterpillar turned into a pupa. Another two weeks later, a small green Looper Moth came out from the pupa. The male and female moths of this genus look different. This moth was a male, basically green, with lacy white spots on the wings. We kept the moth for another day then let it fly away in our backyard.
To raise caterpillars is fun, especially if we find an unknown caterpillar. It is easily too. We have raised some caterpillars such as the Wanderer, the Crow , the Orchard Butterflies and the Brown Tussock moths. You may like to raise one too. Try it yourself next time when you find a caterpillar. Email me if you successfully raise one or if you find any problem.
- Later we found another caterpillar which is smaller in size. We tried to raise it and see if it was a male of female. But this time we failed. The caterpillar dead before it pupated. The caterpillar did build the shelter for pupation with silk and plants materials. Then the caterpillar stated inside the shelter, but never turned into a pupa.
