Philobota atmobola Meyrick, 1884 Philobota impletella Group PHILOBOTA GROUP OECOPHORINAE,   OECOPHORIDAE,   GELECHIOIDEA

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

northern form
(Photo: courtesy of Donald Hobern, Namadgi National Park, Australian Capital Territory)

The adult moth of this species seem to have two different forms.

southern form
(Photo: courtesy of the Photography Group, Centre for Biodiversity Genomics, University of Guelph)

The northern form has off-white forewings, each with five dark brown transverse bands, and a dark brown line and spot at the middle of the costa. The hindwings are grey. The head is white with a dark brown collar, and the thorax is white. The wingspan is about 2 cms.

northern form
(Photo: courtesy of Andrew Mitchell, Australian Museum)

The southern form has grey forewings, each with some dark spots, and a pale yellow stripe along the costa. The hindwings are grey. The head is pale yellow, and the thorax is grey. The wingspan is about 2 cms.

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

The species has been found in

Tasmania.

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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.283.

Edward Meyrick,
Descriptions of Australian Micro-Lepidoptera. Part X. Oecophoridae,
Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales,
Series 1, Volume 8, Part 4 (1884), pp. 471, 486-487, No. 198.

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(written 9 February 2019, updated 21 December 2019, 22 January 2021)