Brenthia albimaculana (Snellen, 1875)
 (formerly known as Simaethis albimaculana)
BRENTHIINAE,   CHOREUTIDAE,   SESIOIDEA
 
Don Herbison-Evans
(donherbisonevans@yahoo.com)
and
Stella Crossley

Brenthia albimaculana
(Photo: courtesy of Bishop Museum, Hawaii)

The Caterpillars of this species are pale yellow and grow to a length of about 6 mm.

Brenthia albimaculana
(Photo: courtesy of Kai Squires, Daintree, Queensland)

The adults have dark brown wings with white patches. It adopts a curious posture when disturbed, with the forewings held high, and the hindwings held flat.

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

The species has been found in

  • New Guinea,
  • Sumatra,
  • Thailand

    and in Australia in

  • Queensland.

    Brenthia albimaculana
    male, drawing: by Pieter C. T. Snellen, listed as Simaethis albimaculana    ,
    Drie Nieuwe Choreutinen, Tijdschrift voor Entomologie, Volume 18 (1875), Plate 6, fig. 5,
    Image courtesy of Biodiversity Heritage Library, digitized by Smithsonian Libraries.

    Further reading :

    Pieter Cornelius Tobias Snellen,
    Drie Nieuwe Choreutinen,
    Tijdschrift voor Entomologie,
    Volume 18 (1875), pp. 77-78, and also Plate 6, fig. 5.

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    (updated 2 March 2009, 14 October 2025)