Black geometrid
Melanodes anthracitaria
The black geometrid is a dark moth from southern Australia. It is the only species in its group. Its caterpillars live on gum trees.
Lives in
Southern and eastern Australia and Tasmania
Wingspan
4 to 5 cm (1.6 to 2 in)
Can it hurt you?
Harmless
Harmless. It does not bite or sting.
What does it eat?
Its caterpillars eat the leaves of eucalyptus trees.
How big is it?
How wide are its wings?
🧱wings as wide as 1.5 toy building bricks⚽could fly across a whole football pitch in 24 seconds
How big is Black geometrid compared to YOU?
Just maths in your browser. Nothing is saved or sent anywhere.
How fast is it?
A kid running fast about 13 km/h (8.1 mph)
Black geometrid about 16 km/h (9.9 mph)
A grown-up on a bike about 25 km/h (16 mph)
A car driving in town about 50 km/h (31 mph)
cool stuff
Fun facts
1
The female is bigger than the male.
2
It flies from August to January, depending on where it lives.
3
It is the only species in its whole genus.
you asked
Most asked questions about Black geometrid
?What does the black geometrid eat?
Its caterpillars eat eucalyptus leaves.
?How big is the black geometrid?
Its open wings measure about 4 cm in males and 5 cm in females.
For bug experts
- Scientific name
- Melanodes anthracitaria
- Named by
- Guenée, 1857
- Group
- Moths
- Family
- Geometridae
- Classification
- Insecta > Lepidoptera > Geometridae
- Lives on
- Australia and Oceania
Where the facts come from
- Melanodes (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0): what it looks like, where it lives, what it eats, sizes and fun facts, retold in simple words.
- Picture by dhobern. CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons. The sticker of this bug is drawn from this picture.
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