Symphyta nyctopis Turner, 1902
 LASIOCAMPINAE,   LASIOCAMPIDAE,   BOMBYCOIDEA
 
Don Herbison-Evans
(donherbisonevans@yahoo.com)
and
Stella Crossley

Symphyta nyctopis
(Photo: courtesy of Donald Hobern, Aranda, Australian Capital Territory)

These caterpillars are black and hairy, with patchy white marks along the back. The caterpillars are thought to feed on the foliage of various species in MYRTACEAE including

  • Cabbage Gum (Eucalyptus platyphylla).

    Symphyta nyctopis
    female
    (Photo: courtesy of Graeme Cocks, Townsville, Queensland)

    The adults moths are brown or grey, with a dark dot near the middle of each forewing. The female moths have a wingspan of about 4 cms. The male moths have a wingspan of about 3 cms.

    Symphyta nyctopis
    female
    (Photo: courtesy of Graeme Cocks, Townsville, Queensland)

    The species has been found in

  • Western Australia,
  • Northern Territory,
  • Queensland,
  • New South Wales,
  • Australian Capital Territory, and
  • Victoria.

    Symphyta nyctopis
    underside
    (Photo: courtesy of John Bromilow, Ainslie, Australian Capital Territory)

    Further reading :

    Ian F.B. Common,
    Moths of Australia, Melbourne University Press, 1990, p. 390.

    A. Jefferis Turner,
    New Australian Lepidoptera,
    Transactions of the Royal Society of South Australia,
    Volume 26 (1902), p. 187.

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    (written 25 December 2012, 10 March 2026)