Oiketicus herrichii Westwood, 1855 Smooth Case Moth (erroneously: Oiketicus herrichi) OIKETICINAE,   PSYCHIDAE,   TINEOIDEA

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

(Specimen: courtesy of the Macleay Museum, University of Sydney)

These Caterpillars live and pupate in a silken case which is not decorated like most PSYCHIDAE, but is cigar shaped to accommodate the animal inside.

(Photo: courtesy of Peter Chew, Brisbane, Queensland)

The head and thorax of the caterpillar inside have a chitinous skin,, and are protruded from the case when walking or feeding. The head and thorax are pale grey with dark brown markings. The abdomen is dark brown.

(Photo: courtesy of Peter Chew, Brisbane, Queensland)

The case can grow to a length of up to 4 cms.

drawing by John O. Westwood,
Descriptions of some species of Lepidopterous insects belonging to the genus Oiketicus,
Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London,
Volume 22 (1854), Plate Annulosa XXXVII, fig. 3,
image courtesy of Biodiversity Heritage Library,
digitized by Natural History Museum Library, London.

The adult male moths have transparent wings. They have a wingspan of about 2.5 cms. The females are wingless, and stay inside their case after metamorphosis.

The species has been found in

New South Wales.

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Further reading :

John O. Westwood,
Descriptions of some species of Lepidopterous insects belonging to the genus Oiketicus,
Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London,
Volume 22 (1854), p. 232, and also Plate 37, fig. 3.

Edward Meyrick & Oswald B. Lower,
Revision of the Australian Psychidae,
Transactions of the Royal Society of South Australia,
Volume 31 (1907), p. 194.

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(updated 15 October 2001, 24 March 2018)