Austromartyria porphyrodes (Turner, 1932)
(formerly known as Sabatinca porphyrodes)
MICROPTERIGIDAE,   MICROPTERIGOIDEA
 
Don Herbison-Evans
(donherbisonevans@yahoo.com)
&
Stella Crossley


(Drawing by George Gibbs)

These caterpillars are off-white and slug-like, with four rows of warts along the body, and some sparse bristles. The caterpillars have been found in the Periphyton layers of rotten logs. The caterpillars grow to a length of about 0.4 cms.


female
(Photo : courtesy of George Gibbs, Atherton Tableland, Queensland,)

The adult moths of this species have forewings that are black with a purple iridescence, each with two white transverse bands. The hindwings are plain black with a purple iridescence. The head and thorax are brown, but densely covered in long white scales, except for a band of black scales at the back of the head. The legs are white with scattered black markings. The wingspan is about 1 cm.

The species has been found in

  • Queensland.

    The moths have been found in large numbers clustered under the fronds of ferns, particularly Gristle Ferns (Blechnum cartilagineum).


    Further reading :

    George W. Gibbs,
    Micropterigidae (Lepidoptera) of the Southwestern Pacific: a revision with the establishment of five new genera from Australia, New Caledonia and New Zealand,
    Zootaxa,
    Volume 2520 (2010), pp. 7, 9-17.

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


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    (written 17 February 2016, updated 20 June 2018)