Archaeoses pentasema (Lower, 1915) (one synonym is Archaeoses neurotenes Turner, 1932) COSSIDAE,   COSSOIDEA

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

(Photo: courtesy of Peter Woodall, Bunya Mountains, Queensland)

The adult moths of this species have forewings covered by five dark-edged pale grey or brown stripes extending from the base to the margin, interrupted by a broad transverse band covered with a complex outlined network of small brown patches. The head is pale grey or brown with a double dark-edged crest of pale hair. The undersides of the scapes of the antennae are white. The hindwings are plain brown. The wingspan of the males is about 3 cms. The females have a wingspan of about 4 cms.

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

The species has been found in

Western Australia.

underside, showing white underside to antennae bases
(Photo: copyright of Brett and Marie Smith at Ellura Sanctuary, South Australia)

The adult moths have only vestigial degenerate mouth-parts, like all COSSIDAE, so cannot feed.

close-up: underside of head
(Photo: courtesy of Mark Heath Victoria Rock, Western Australia)

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Further reading :

Oswald B. Lower,
Descriptions of new Australian Lepidoptera,
Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales,
Volume 40 (1915), pp. 478-479.

A. Jefferis Turner,
New Australian Lepidoptera,
Transactions of the Royal Society of South Australia,
Volume 56 (1932), p. 196.

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(written 20 October 2017, updated 12 October 2020, 16 May 2022)