THE GUM EMPEROR MOTH. 113 



CHAPTER LVII. 



THE GUM EMPEROR MOTH. 



(Antherea eucalypti^ Scolt.) 



Order : Lepidoptera. Family: Saturnidoe. 



This beautiful insect is, with five exceptions, viz., 

 Chelepteryx Coliesi, CcBquosia trianguiaris^ Antherea 

 Helena^ Zeuzera eucalypti, and Pielus, the largest 

 moth in Victoria, it being the size and colour of those 

 figured in our plate. The larva of this moth when just 

 hatched is nearly black, but as it grows larger it becomes 

 green, and when fully developed green, each segment 

 being adorned with tuft-like projections of a beautiful 

 orange and blue colour, bearing some resemblance, as 

 Mr. E. Anderson in his valuable paper remarks, to a 

 sea anemone. The eggs, which are yellowish white 

 (see those on the leaf in our plate), are laid in rows on 

 the upper surface of the leaf, and the young caterpillars 

 at once commence feeding on the leaves of the tree. As 

 these little creatures increase in size they become very 

 voracious, and will strip the leaves from a gum sapling 

 in a very short time. The pupa-case is of a hard 

 woody nature, and from which the moth cuts its way out 

 of the cocoon, a process which takes some considerable 

 time, and may be plainly heard during the operation. 

 These woody pupa-cases, one of which is shown on the 

 plate, are firmly attached to small twigs of the branches 

 of the tree, but sometimes on fences and elsewhere, and 

 even when detached the perfect insect is easily reared. 



The males of this moth have beautiful antennae or 

 feelers (see Figs. I. and Ia.), those of the females 

 being plain (see Fig. II.), the moth itself being of a 



11597. H 



