Macrobathra bigerella (Walker, 1864)
 (one synonym : Macrobathra crymalea Meyrick, 1886)
COSMOPTERIGINAE,   COSMOPTERIGIDAE,   GELECHIOIDEA
 
Don Herbison-Evans
(donherbisonevans@yahoo.com)
and
Stella Crossley

Macrobathra bigerella
(Photo: courtesy of Graeme Cocks, Townsville, Queensland)

The caterpillars of this species have been found in silk shelters feeding amongst the buds and pods of various Wattles ( MIMOSACEAE ) including

  • Sydney Wattle ( Acacia longifolia ), and
  • Orange Wattle ( Acacia saligna ).

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

    The adult moths have black forewings with bold white bands and patches. The hindwings are brown. The wingspan is about 1.5 cms.

    The species occurs in :

  • Northern Territory,
  • Queensland,
  • New South Wales,
  • Victoria,
  • Tasmania,
  • South Australia, and
  • Western Australia.

    Further reading :

    Ian F.B. Common,
    Moths of Australia,
    Melbourne University Press, 1990, fig. 24.18, p. 253-254.

    Francis Walker,
    Tineites,
    List of the Specimens of Lepidopterous Insects in the Collection of the British Museum,
    Part 29 (1864), p. 644, No. 352.

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    (written 3 February 2013, 17 September 2013, 28 November 2020)