Eulechria psilopla (Meyrick, 1884) (formerly known as Peltophora psilopla) EULECHRIA GROUP OECOPHORINAE,   OECOPHORIDAE,   GELECHIOIDEA

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

(Photo: courtesy of Heather Jordan, Surf Beach, New South Wales)

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 a yellow head, and a dark brown thorax and abdomen. The forewings are also dark brown with a purplish sheen, each crossed by two pale yellow bands, the anteromedial one broad and incomplete, and the postmedial one narrow and complete. The hindwings are brown. 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

Victoria.

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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. 368.

Edward Meyrick,
Descriptions of Australian Micro-lepidoptera XI Oecophoridae,
Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales,
Series 1, Volume 9, Part 3 (1884), p. 735, No. 267.

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(written 2 October 2018, updated 31 January 2024)