''Euproctis lutea'', the fresh-water mangrove itchy caterpillar, is a species of

moth Moths are a paraphyletic group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not butterflies, with moths making up the vast majority of the order. There are thought to be approximately 160,000 species of moth, many of w ...

of the family Erebidae. It is found in northern Australia (the

Northern Territory The Northern Territory (commonly abbreviated as NT; formally the Northern Territory of Australia) is an Australian territory in the central and central northern regions of Australia. The Northern Territory shares its borders with Western Aust ...

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , establishe ...

and

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

) and

New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; id, Papua, or , historically ) is the world's second-largest island with an area of . Located in Oceania in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the island is separated from Australia by the wide Torr ...

. The

wingspan The wingspan (or just span) of a bird or an airplane is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777–200 has a wingspan of , and a wandering albatross (''Diomedea exulans'') caught in 1965 had a wingspan o ...

of the adult moth is about 30 mm. The forewings are yellow with two faint zigzag lines, while the hindwings are plain yellow. The larvae feed on ''

Lycopersicon esculentum The tomato is the edible berry of the plant ''Solanum lycopersicum'', commonly known as the tomato plant. The species originated in western South America, Mexico, and Central America. The Mexican Nahuatl word gave rise to the Spanish word , ...

'', ''

Begonia ''Begonia'' is a genus of perennial flowering plants in the family Begoniaceae. The genus contains more than 2,000 different plant species. The Begonias are native to moist subtropical and tropical climates. Some species are commonly grown ind ...

'' species, ''

Myosotis arvensis ''Myosotis arvensis'' or field forget-me-not is a herbaceous annual to short lived perennial flowering plant in the family Boraginaceae. Clive Stace describes this plant as having the following characteristics: * Upright, to ; softly hairy, wi ...

'', '' Rosa odorata'', ''

Barringtonia acutangula ''Barringtonia acutangula'' is a species of ''Barringtonia'' native to coastal wetlands in southern Asia and northern Australasia, from Afghanistan east to the Philippines, Queensland and the Northern Territory. Common names include freshwater m ...

'' and ''

Planchonia careya ''Planchonia careya'' is a tree species in the family Lecythidaceae. Common names include cocky apple, cockatoo apple and billygoat plum. The species should not be confused with ''Terminalia ferdinandiana'', with which it shares some common na ...

''. They are black and hairy, with a wide white line running along the length of the abdomen, and a wide white spot on the thorax. Full-grown larvae reach a length of about 15 mm, and their hairs can lead to intense itching after contact with human skin. Pupation takes place in a sparse cocoon in a sheltered location away from the food plant. The moth was first described in European scientific literature by

Johan Christian Fabricius Johan Christian Fabricius (7 January 1745 – 3 March 1808) was a Danish zoologist, specialising in "Insecta", which at that time included all arthropods: insects, arachnids, crustaceans and others. He was a student of Carl Linnaeus, and is co ...

in 1775."Species ''Euproctis lutea'' (Fabricius, 1775)"
''Australian Faunal Directory''. Archived 5 April 2011.

References

Moths described in 1775 Lymantriinae Taxa named by Johan Christian Fabricius {{Lymantriinae-stub