''Panacela lewinae'', or Lewin's bag shelter moth, is a
moth of the family
Eupterotidae. The species was first described by
John Lewin
John William Lewin (1770 – 27 August 1819) was an English-born artist active in Australia from 1800. The first professional artist of the colony of New South Wales, he illustrated the earliest volumes of Australian natural history. Many of his ...
in 1805. It is found in Australia from southern
Queensland to southern
New South Wales.
The
wingspan is about 30 mm.
The caterpillars live communally in a shelter on their food plant, made of leaves joined by silk. They spend the day in this shelter and come out to feed at night. They feed on ''
Eucalyptus'', ''
Lophostemon'', ''
Angophora
''Angophora'' is a genus of nine species of trees and shrubs in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. Endemic to eastern Australia, they differ from other eucalypts in having juvenile and adult leaves arranged in opposite pairs, sepals reduced to projec ...
'' and ''
Syncarpia'' (including ''
Syncarpia glomulifera'') species, as well as ''
Chamaecytisus prolifer
''Chamaecytisus'' is a genus of flowering plants in the legume family, Fabaceae. It belongs to the subfamily Faboideae. It may be a synonym of ''Cytisus''. '' C. palmensis'' is a tree from the Canary Islands used as a fodder crop around the world ...
'', ''
Pinus radiata'' and ''
Exocarpus cupressiformis
''Exocarpos cupressiformis'', with common names that include native cherry, cherry ballart, and cypress cherry, belongs to the sandalwood family of plants. It is a species endemic to Australia. Occasionally the genus name is spelt "Exocarpus" but ...
''.
The hairs of the caterpillars can cause skin irritation (
urticaria).
External links
Species info*
Panacelinae
Moths described in 1805
Taxa named by John Lewin
{{Bombycoidea-stub