Macrobathra nephelomorpha

Macrobathra nephelomorpha Meyrick, 1886
COSMOPTERIGINAE, COSMOPTERIGIDAE, GELECHIOIDEA

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

Macrobathra nephelomorpha
(Photo: courtesy of David Akers, Won Wron, Victoria)

This Caterpillar is off-white with broad brown bands along each side, and a thin brown line along the back, with a brown dot each side on the back of each segment. The head is brown, with a brown collar. The caterpillar has been found feeding on various Wattles (MIMOSACEAE) including

Green Wattle (Acacia decurrens), and

Black Wattle (Acacia mearnsii).

cocoon spun amongst foodplant leaves
(Photo: courtesy of David Akers, Won Wron, Victoria)

The caterpillar pupates in its shelter.

(Photo: courtesy of David Akers, Won Wron, Victoria)

The adult moths have brown forewings each with vague variable markings often including one or more broad dark stripes along part of the wing, and two pale spots on the costa. The hindwings are pale brown, darkening towards brown wingtips. The wingspan is about 1.5 cms.

(Photo: courtesy of Matt Campbell, Morwell National Park, Victoria)

The species has been found in

Queensland,

New South Wales,

Victoria, and

Tasmania.

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

Further reading :

Edward Meyrick,
Descriptions of Australian Micro-Lepidoptera XII Oecophoridae,
Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales,
Series 1, Volume 10, Number 4 (1886), pp. 820-821, No. 504.

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(written 11 February 2017, updated 26 March 2023)