Mistletoe Brown-Tail Moth

Description:

This 20 mm long grey caterpillar had white lateral tufts of setae on the abdominal segments, a fringe of golden setae on the thorax, a tuft of long brown setae at the rear end and a black head. The first and last abdominal segments showed paired black knobs (pic 3). Dorsally, a white band ran all along the length of the body with a narrow black line in the middle. Each segment had a raised tuft of dark setae on either side of the midline. The two penultimate segments each had a yellow dorsal gland.

Habitat:

Spotted crawling down a eucalyptus tree.

Notes:

This is the caterpillar of Mistletoe Brown-Tail Moth ( E. edwardsii), it feeds on Mistletoe ( Loranthaceae).
Family: Lymantriidae