Opogona comptella (Walker, 1864)
 (previously known as Tinea comptella)
HIEROXESTINAE,   TINEIDAE,   TINEOIDEA
 
Don Herbison-Evans,
(donherbisonevans@yahoo.com)
and
Stella Crossley


(Photo: courtesy of Donald Hobern, Aranda, Australian Capital Territory)

The Caterpillars of this species have been found feeding :

  • on the bark of Golden Willow ( Salix vitellina, SALICACEAE ),
  • in galls on Silver Wattle ( Acacia dealbata, MIMOSACEAE ),
         caused by the rust fungus Uromycladium tepperianum ( PUCCINALES ), and
  • in galls on Blackwood ( Acacia melanoxylon, MIMOSACEAE )
         caused by the fly Cecidomyia acaciaelongifoliae ( CECIDOMYIIDAE ).


    (Photo: courtesy of Landcare Research Ltd., New Zealand)

    The forewings of the adult moth are black with yellow patches. The moth has a wingspan of about 1.5 cms.


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

    The species occurs in

  • New Zealand,

    as well as along the east coast of Australia, including

  • Queensland,
  • New South Wales,
  • Australian Capital Territory,
  • Victoria, and
  • Tasmania.


    mating pair
    (Photo: courtesy of Cath Busby, Cook, Australian Capital Territory)

    Further reading :

    Richard Bashford,
    The insect complex inhabiting galls formed by Cecidomyia acaciaelongifoliae Skuse (Diptera: CECIDOMYIIDAE) on Blackwood (Acacia melanoxylon) in Tasmania,
    The Australian Entomologist,
    Volume 33, Part 1 (March 2006), pp. 1-4.

    Richard Bashford,
    The insect fauna inhabiting Uromycladium (Uredinales) rust galls on Silver Wattle (Acacia dealbata) in Tasmania,
    The Australian Entomologist,
    Volume 29, Part 3 (September 2002), pp. 81-95.

    Gaden S. Robinson & Ebbe S. Nielsen,
    Tineid Genera of Australia,
    Monographs on Australian Lepidoptera Volume 2,
    CSIRO Publishing, Melbourne 1993.

    Francis Walker,
    Tineites,
    List of the Specimens of Lepidopterous Insects in the Collection of the British Museum,
    Part 30 (1864), p. 1007.

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    (updated 13 August 2011, 20 October 2018)