Species Paralaea beggaria (Guenée, 1857)

Museums

Regional Maps

• Chlenias beggaria Guenée, A. in Boisduval, J.-A. & Guenée, A. (eds) 1857. Histoire Naturelle des Insectes. Species général des Lépidoptères. Paris : Librarie Encyclopédique de Roret Vol. 10(2) 584 pp. [10: 238].

  Type data:

   Holotype MNHP ♀, Nouvelle-Hollande.
• Stathmorrhopa aphotista Turner, A.J. 1947. New Australian species of Boarmiadae (Lepidoptera). Proceedings of the Royal Society of Queensland 58: 71-112 [102].

  Type data:

   Lectotype ANIC ♂, Tasmania, Millbrook.
  Paralectotype(s) ANIC ♂, ♀, Tasmania, Millbrook;
  Syntype(s) ANIC 4♂, ♀, Victoria, Moe; Tasmania, Millbrook.
• Anochthera indistincta Goldfinch, G.M. 1944. Notes on Australian Boarmiidae and Oenochromidae (Lepidoptera) with descriptions of new species. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales 69: 189-197 [196].

  Type data:

   Holotype ♂, New South Wales, "Probably from Sydney or Newcastle".

 

Taxonomic Decision for Synonymy

• Guest, E. 1887. A classified list of Geometrina found around Balhannah, with notes on species. Transactions of the Royal Society of South Australia 9: 126-141 [140] (Paralaea beggaria)
• Lower, O.B. 1897. Descriptions of new species of Australian Lepidoptera, with notes on synonymy. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales 22: 10-32 [30] (Chlenias ochrosoma as synonym of Stathmorrhopa beggaria)
• Turner, A.J. 1926. New and little-known Tasmanian Lepidoptera. Papers and Proceedings of the Royal Society of Tasmania 1925: 81-117 [133] (Stathmorrhopa beggaria)
• McQuillan, P.B. & Edwards, E.D. 1996. Geometridae. pp. 200-228 in Nielsen, E.S., Edwards, E.D. & Rangsi, T.V. (eds). Checklist of the Lepidoptera of Australia. Monographs on Australian Lepidoptera. Collingwood : CSIRO Publishing Vol. 4 xiv 529 pp. & CD-ROM. [204] (aphotista, indistincta)

 

Distribution

States

Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, Queensland, Tasmania

Extra Distribution Information

Occurs from south-eastern Queensland to Tasmania. Although generally a lowland species in Tasmania, most mainland records are from moderate elevations in the eastern ranges.

Australian Endemic.

Distribution References

Ecological Descriptors

Caterpillar: herbivore (associated flora: Eucalyptus amygdalina Labill., 1806 [MYRTACEAE] Black Peppermint; Eucalyptus viminalis Labill. [MYRTACEAE] Manna Gum; Eucalyptus obliqua l'Hérit. [MYRTACEAE] mountain ash; Eucalyptus risdoni Hook f. [MYRTACEAE] risdon peppermint; Eucalyptus nitens Maiden [MYRTACEAE] shining gum; Eucalyptus tenuiramis Miq. [MYRTACEAE] silver peppermint; Eucalyptus ovata Labill. [MYRTACEAE] swamp gum).

Associated Flora References

Anonymous 1985. Peppermint Looper. Forest Pests and Diseases Leaflet 3: pp. 4 (Eucalyptus amygdalina)

Elliott, H.J., Bashford, R. & Palzer, C. 1980. Biology of Stathmorrhopa aphotista Turner (Lepidoptera: Geometridae), a defoliator of Eucalyptus spp. in southern Tasmania. Australian Forestry 43: 81-86 (Eucalyptus viminalis; Eucalyptus tenuiramis; Eucalyptus risdoni; Eucalyptus ovata; Eucalyptus obliqua; Eucalyptus nitens)

 

Diagnosis

The transverse dark markings on the forewing allow this species to be recognised from all species in the genus except P chionopasta McQuillan, Young & Richardson, which, in addition, has the forewings weakly irrorated with white scales. The small female corpus bursae is characteristic of Tasmanian and Victorian specimens, but is larger in individuals from New South Wales and Queensland. On this evidence we suspect the female holotype of beggaria originated in New South Wales.

 

Common Name References

Elliott, H.J., Bashford, R. & Palzer, C. 1980. Biology of Stathmorrhopa aphotista Turner (Lepidoptera: Geometridae), a defoliator of Eucalyptus spp. in southern Tasmania. Australian Forestry 43: 81-86 (Peppermint Looper)

 

History of changes

Published	As part of group	Action Date	Action Type	Compiler(s)
21-Feb-2022	GEOMETROIDEA	24-Nov-2023	MODIFIED	Dr Cathy Byrne (TMAG) Di Moyle (TMAG)
21-Feb-2022	GEOMETRIDAE	24-Nov-2023	MODIFIED	Dr Federica Turco (QM)
21-Feb-2022		24-Nov-2023	MODIFIED
21-Feb-2022		24-Nov-2023	MODIFIED
		26-May-2010	MODIFIED