About Abrostola triplasia (Linnaeus, 1758)
According to the 1907 description by South, the forewings of the Abrostola triplasia moth are blackish-grey with a purplish tint and a somewhat shiny surface. The basal area of the forewings is pale reddish-brown, bordered by a curved dark chocolate-brown cross line. A reddish-grey band lies on the outer area of the forewings, clouded with the moth's base ground color, and edged above the inner margin by a curved dark chocolate-brown line. Raised scales are present on the central area of the forewings and on the cross lines. Two oval reddish-brown marks on the front of the moth's collar resemble a pair of spectacles, which gives this species its common English name. The oddly shaped, humped caterpillar is green and covered in scattered white dots. It has darker whitish-edged markings on its 4th, 5th, and 11th segments, and a dark whitish-edged line running along the middle of the back between the 5th and 11th segments. A white line extends along the back from the 4th segment to the brownish head, and dark whitish-edged oblique lines appear on the sides of the 6th to 11th segments. The low line running along the caterpillar's sides is whitish with an ochreous tinge. A purplish-brown color morph of the caterpillar also exists, in which all pale markings carry an ochreous tint.
