Prasinocyma rhodocosma (Meyrick, 1888)
Northern Emerald
 (previously known as Iodis rhodocosma)
GEOMETRINAE,   GEOMETRIDAE,   GEOMETROIDEA
 
Don Herbison-Evans
(donherbisonevans@yahoo.com)
and
Stella Crossley


(Photo: courtesy of Ian McMillan, Imbil, Queensland)

The Caterpillars of this species feed on the young shoots and leaves of:

  • Gum trees ( Eucalyptus species, MYRTACEAE ).

    The adult moths are green with purplish-brown markings on the wings. The moths have a wingspan of about 3 cms.


    underside
    (Photo: courtesy of Graeme Cocks, Townsville, Queensland)

    The species has been found in

  • Timor,

    as well as in Australia in

  • Western Australia,
  • Northern Territory,
  • Queensland,
  • New South Wales,
  • Australian Capital Territory,
  • Victoria, and
  • South Australia.

    The genus Prasinocyma is inappropriate for this species, but no suitable genus has yet been named and described for it.

    Further reading :

    Ian F.B. Common,
    Moths of Australia,
    Melbourne University Press, 1990, pl. 11.4, p. 373.

    Peter Marriott,
    Moths of Victoria: Part 4,
    Emeralds and Allies - GEOMETROIDEA (B)    ,
    Entomological Society of Victoria, 2012, pp. 32-33.

    Edward Meyrick,
    Revision of Australian Lepidoptera II,
    Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales,
    Series 2, Volume 2, Part 4 (1888), pp. 889-890, No. 67.

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    (updated 9 July 2011, 30 October 2014, 8 September 2019, 11 January 2021)