#doratifera

Cup moth (Doratifera sp.)

Photo by Cheryl Hodges at The Big Hole near Braidwood NSW.

Found all over the mainland. These cup moth caterpillars hatch from eggs laid under a pile of the mother’s fur, and are armed with eight clusters of razor-sharp venomous red spines, held inside folds in the body until deployed. They feed on Acacia, Eucalypts, and mangroves.

Black cup moth (Doratifera casta)

Mottled Cup Moth – Doratifera vulnerans

Cup moths (Lepidoptera - Limacodidae) are found all over Australia. The common name "cup moth" is thought to come from the shape of the pupal cocoons constructed by the caterpillars, which are cup-like in appearance after the moth has emerged.

Caterpillars of Doratifera vulnerans are broad, stout, and saddle-shaped, and at each end the raised sections are topped with four spiny, fleshy tubercles each bearing bunches of sharp spines which are normally hidden, but are displayed when the caterpillar is disturbed. Contact with these spines can cause a sharp painful sting.

The adults are stout, hairy bodied moths with dark brown abdomen and mottled brown wings. The hindwings are uniformly light brown. The moths have a wingspan of about 4 cm.

References: [1] - [2]