Eulechria heliocoma (Meyrick, 1888) (one synonym: Cormotypa fusca Turner, 1941) EULECHRIA GROUP OECOPHORINAE,   OECOPHORIDAE,   GELECHIOIDEA

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

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

The Caterpillar of this species is expected to feed on dead leaves, as do others in this genus Eulechria, although different species in this genus seem each to prefer different host plants. The caterpillar probably lives in a tubular silk lined gallery, incorporating debris and frass, in amongst the dead leaves.

The caterpillar probably pupates in a larger and looser chamber at one end of the gallery.

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

The adult moth is a uniform pale brown. The wingspan is about 1.5 cms.

The species has been found in eastern Australia, including:

Queensland.

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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, p. 365.

Edward Meyrick,
Descriptions of Australian Micro-Lepidoptera. XIV. Oecophoridae (continued),
Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales,
Series 2, Volume 2, Part 4 (1884), p. 948.

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(written 3 November 2012, updated 22 October 2018)