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WTB? Down UnderAustralian Caterpillar – Green with blue and orange hairs/spikes
Hi all,
I found this caterpillar in my eucalyptus tree in Victoria, Australia. He has been living there for at least the past 3 weeks and has been eating and growing constantly. I had a good look on your site but could not seem to identify him. I am curious about what he is and what type of butterfly or moth he will become. If you can help me at all that would be greatly appreciated! Thanks,
Angela
Hi Angela,
We have been searching the internet for your answer. At first we thought this might be the Helena Gum Moth, Opodiphthera helena. There is a website with good documentation of the life cycle. It didn’t seem like a perfect match though. Continued searching revealed a related species, the Emperor Gum Moth, Opodiphthera eucalypti. Your caterpillar appeared on an Australian stamp in 2003.
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