Oenochlora imperialis Warren, 1896
 (one synonym : Euarestus nobilatans Lucas, 1900)
GEOMETRINAE,   GEOMETRIDAE,   GEOMETROIDEA
 
Don Herbison-Evans
(donherbisonevans@yahoo.com)
and
Stella Crossley

Oenochlora imperialis
male
(Photo: courtesy of Buck Richardson, Kuranda, Queensland)

The male adult moths of this species have green wings. There are vague faint submarginal dark lines on each wing, and each forewing has variable brown markings near the base and the wing-tip. Each hindwing has brown band along the costa. The thorax and abdomen are green. The wingspan is about 4 cms.

Oenochlora imperialis
female
(Photo: courtesy of Dianne Clarke, Mapleton, Queensland)

The females have an additional dark-edged pale spot near the middle of each forewing, and other variable dark markings on all four wings.

Oenochlora imperialis
male
(Photo: courtesy of CSIRO/BIO Photography Group, Centre for Biodiversity Genomics, University of Guelph)

This species has been found as subspecies majestica in

  • New Guinea,

    and subspecies imperialis Prout, 1913, in Australia in

  • Queensland, and
  • New South Wales.

    Oenochlora imperialis
    underside
    (Photo: courtesy of Aila Keto, Springbrook, Queensland)

    Further reading :

    Ian F.B. Common,
    Moths of Australia, Melbourne University Press, 1990, pl. 10.20, p. 372.

    William Warren,
    New species of Drepanulidae, Thyrididae, Uraniidae, Epilemidae, and Geometridae in the Tring Museum,
    Novitates Zoologicae,
    Volume 3 (1896), p. 354, No. 45.

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    (updated 17 April 2011, 28 April 2025)