Eulechria malacoptera Meyrick, 1888
EULECHRIA GROUP
OECOPHORINAE,   OECOPHORIDAE,   GELECHIOIDEA
 
Don Herbison-Evans,
(donherbisonevans@yahoo.com)
and
Stella Crossley

Eulechria malacoptera
(Photo: courtesy of John Bromilow, Mount Ainslie, Australian Capital Territory)

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.

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

The adult moth has yellow forewings, each with a broad brown marginal band. The hindwings are plain brown. The head is yellow, with a dark brown collar. The meta-thorax is yellow. The wingspan is about 1.5 cms.

The species has been found in south-eastern Australia, including:

  • Queensland,
  • New South Wales,
  • Australian Capital Territory,
  • Victoria, and
  • South Australia.

    The adult moths are superficially similar to those of Chrysonoma paracycla, but differ in the shape of the boundary of the forewing brown marginal band.


    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, pp. 355-356, 359, 366.

    Edward Meyrick,
    Descriptions of Australian Micro-Lepidoptera. XIV. Oecophoridae,
    Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales,
    Volume 2, Part 4 (1888), p. 948, No. 549 (79a).


    previous
    back
    caterpillar
    Australian
    Australian Butterflies
    butterflies
    Australian
    home
    Lepidoptera
    Australian
    Australian Moths
    moths
    next
    next
    caterpillar

    (uwritten 19March 2020, updated 5 May 2021)