Conoeca guildingi

Conoeca guildingi Scott, 1864
(sometimes known as Narycia guildingi)
NARYCIINAE, PSYCHIDAE, TINEOIDEA

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

Conoeca guildingi
early case, magnified
(Photo: courtesy of Steve Pearson, Airlie Beach, Queensland)

The Caterpillars of this species have been found feeding on a variety of plants including:

Kunzea ( Kunzea corifolia, MYRTACEAE ),

Woolly Teatree ( Leptospermum lanigerum, MYRTACEAE ), and

Common Rush ( Juncus effusus, JUNCACEAE ).

drawing by Harriet & Helena Scott, listed as Conoeca guildingi,
Australian Lepidoptera, Volume 1 (1864), Plate 9.

The caterpillars each initially live in a conical case covered in bits of chewed vegetation. When the case is secured : the caterpillar splays out the open end of the case. As the caterpillar encounters vegetation in different shades and colours, in using that vegetation,: the case becomes banded in the various shades and colours.

later case
(Photo: courtesy of Joan Fearn, Moruya, New South Wales)

As the caterpillar matures, the case becomes long and thin and slightly curved. Eventually, the caterpillar grows too big to fit into the narrow end, and pupates only in the wider end, so the narrow end collapses.

late case, partly collapsed
(Photo: courtesy of Heather Jordan, Ainslie, Australian Capital Territory)

The caterpillars have a black head, dark chitinous armour on the thorax, and an off-white abdomen.

the caterpillar partly exposed, magnified
(Photo: courtesy of Alison Milton, Macgregor, Australian Capital Territory)

The head normally is the only part of the body that is protruded from the case, although by holding the case and pulling it back gently, more of the caterpillar can be exposed. The case grows to a length of about 3 cms.

female
(Photo: courtesy of David Akers, Won Wron, Victoria)

The adult moths of this species are grey with a variable pattern of dark splotches or speckles. The hindwings are grey with darker margins. The abdomen is yellow but usually covered in dark grey hair. There are two forms, apparently assumed to be different sexes by Scott.

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

The female has a wingspan of about 4.5 cms The male has a wingspan of about 3 cms.

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

The species has been found in

Queensland,

New South Wales,

Victoria, and

Tasmania.

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

It is possible that the two forms are actually two different species. That will need further study.