Eulechria hemisphaerica (Meyrick, 1886) (formerly known as Compsotropha chrysozona) EULECHRIA GROUP OECOPHORINAE,   OECOPHORIDAE,   GELECHIOIDEA

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

(Photo: courtesy of Ian McMillan, Imbil, Queensland)

The Caterpillar of this species is thought 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 in amongst the dead leaves, incorporating debris and frass.

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

The adult moth of this species has yellow forewings, each with a black band about 2/3rds along the wing. The marginal area is a little darker than the rest of the wing. The hindwings are fawn. The head is yellow and the thorax is black. The wingspan is about 1 cm.

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

The species may be found in

New South Wales.

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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 XII Oecophoridae,
Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales,
Series 1, Volume 10 (1886), p. 780, No. 431.

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(written 1 October 2018)