Hellinsia balanotes

Hellinsia balanotes (Meyrick, 1908)
(one synonym : Pterophorus aquila Meyrick, 1908)
PTEROPHORINAE, PTEROPHORIDAE, PTEROPHORIOIDEA

Don Herbison-Evans
(donherbisonevans@yahoo.com)
and
Debbie Matthews & Stella Crossley

Hellinsia balanotes

This Caterpillar is buff, with sparse hairs, and two thorn-like spines at the tip of the abdomen. It has a brown head and tail, and it also has a brown spiracle on each side of each abdominal segment.

Close-up of Caterpillar head.

The caterpillar was imported from Florida into Australia to control the weed:

Groundsel Bush ( Baccharis halimifolia , ASTERACEAE ).

The caterpillar is also reported to feed on various other ASTERACEAE, including:

Great-Plains Falsewillow ( Baccharis salicina ),

Roosevelt Weed ( Baccharis neglecta ), and

Saltwater Falsewillow ( Baccharis angustifolia ).

The caterpillar grows to a length of about 1.5 cms.

Pupa with scale showing 2 mm.

The adult moth is pale brown with a prominent dark dot on the hind margin of the foremost lobe. There is an arc of dark dots around the forewing margin. The moth has a wingspan of about 3 cms.

(Photo: courtesy of Ian McMillan, Imbil, Queensland)

The species occurs naturally in

southern USA, and

northern Mexico,

but now can also be found in Australia in

Queensland, and

New South Wales.