Parergophela melirrhoa Meyrick, 1884 CHEZALA GOUP OECOPHORINAE,   OECOPHORIDAE,   GELECHIOIDEA

Don Herbison-Evans, (donherbisonevans@yahoo.com) and Stella Crossley

(Photo: courtesy of the Photography Group, Centre for Biodiversity Genomics, University of Guelph)

This adult moth has orange or bright yellow forewings, each with a short dark brown line along the costa by the base, and brown fringes. The hindwings are brown. The yellow head and thorax are separated by a dark brown collar. The wingspan is about 2 cms.

The species is easily confused with Telocharacta hemicroca and Telocharacta metachroa, although these are generally paler than Parergophela melirrhoa. The species can also be confused with Microbela allocoma and Microbela epicona, but these have shorter labial palps.

(Photo: courtesy of CSIRO/BIO Photography Group, Centre for Biodiversity Genomics, University of Guelph)

The species has been found in:

Australian Capital Territory.

---

Further Reading:

Ian F.B. Common,
Oecophorine Genera of Australia II: The Chezala, Philobota and Eulechria groups (Lepidoptera: Oecophoridae),
Monographs on Australian Lepidoptera Volume 5,
CSIRO Publishing, 1997, pp. 214, 216-219.

Edward Meyrick,
Descriptions of Australian Micro-Lepidoptera. X. Oecophoridae,
Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales,
Series 1, Volume 8 (1884), pp. 472, 498, No. 216.

---

previous caterpillar

Australian butterflies

Australian Lepidoptera

Australian moths

next caterpillar

(written 25 November 2019)