Panacela lewinae

Panacela lewinae, or Lewin's bag shelter moth, is a moth of the family Eupterotidae. The species was first described by John Lewin in 1805. It is found in Australia from southern Queensland to southern New South Wales.

Panacela lewinae
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Eupterotidae
Genus:	Panacela
Species:	P. lewinae
Binomial name
Panacela lewinae (Lewin, 1805)
Synonyms
Bombyx lewinae Lewin, 1805 Pamea transiens Walker, 1855 Oreta sobria Walker, 1855 Eriogaster simplex Walker, 1855 Thaumatopoea lewinii Herrich-Schäffer, [1858] Naprepa pilosa Walker, 1865 Naprepa hirta Walker, 1865 Panacela rufescens Walker, 1865 Semuta pristina Walker, 1865 Panacela lewinii Herrich-Schäffer, [1856] (missp.) Panacela prisca Turner, 1922 (missp.)

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 and Syncarpia (including Syncarpia glomulifera) species, as well as Chamaecytisus prolifer, Pinus radiata and Exocarpus cupressiformis.

The hairs of the caterpillars can cause skin irritation (urticaria).

External links

• Species info
• Herbison-Evans, Don & Crossley, Stella (2 June 2017). "Panacela lewinae (Lewin, 1805) Lewin's Bag Shelter Moth". Australian Caterpillars and their Butterflies and Moths. Retrieved 20 October 2018.