The 12 cm tall caterpillar will arch its back to display two ominous spots that resemble a sunken cartoon skull in an effort to scare off potential predators.
The larvae will lunge at potential predators, like as birds and spiders, as part of their “startle display” tactic.
When the caterpillar transforms into a moth, with brown forewings that spread out to 6 cm when at rest, it mimics dead brown eucalyptus leaves.
Description:
The moth is named from the pink dots that mimic dead leaves on its dark hindwing, which also has white markings on the edges.
When threatened, the species creates a “head” made up of two huge “eye” spots and a row of white “teeth” to frighten off predators.
Distribution:
From Nambour in southeast Queensland to Bellingen in northern New South Wales, the pink underwing can be found.
From the Queensland border to Wardell, it is reported to exist in a small number of places in NSW.
Low-elevation subtropical rainforests with low light levels are where you can find them.
Threats:
- Clearing or disturbing last-resort rainforest habitat for development and agriculture.
- Local extinction risk because of a small range
Source:dailymail