Brown Looper - Pholodes sinistraria
Family Geometridae
This page contains information about Brown Lopper Moths that we found in the Brisbane area, Queensland, Australia.
- Caterpillar length 50mm
- Male, wingspan 50mm
- We found this moth in our backyard, resting on a pine tree. Notice its feathery antennae which indicate it is a male. The female moth is slightly different on wing patterns and a litter larger.
- Young instars length 15mm
- When the caterpillars are young, they are dark green in colour with white bands between the segments. They become brown in later stages. They feed on different of garden plants and trees in the bush. The caterpillar is a true looper, i.e., it has only two pairs of prolegs and has to move forward in a looper style.
- When disturbed, the caterpillar do a Bungee-Jump to escape. The above photos were taken in Toohey Forest during early winter. The small caterpillar was moving on a Wattle tree.
- Mature caterpillar, length 50mm
- Above pictures show a mature caterpillar. It was found on a plum tree in our backyard during early winter. The caterpillar was brown in colour, along each side, there are the tiny white dots on each segment.
