Monopis meliorella (Walker, 1863)
Blotched Monopis Moth
 (one synonym : Blabophanes insularis Felder & Rogenhofer, 1875)
TINEINAE,   TINEIDAE,   TINEOIDEA
 
Don Herbison-Evans,
(donherbisonevans@yahoo.com)
and
Stella Crossley

Monopis meliorella
(Photo: courtesy of Graeme Cocks, Townsville, Queensland)

The caterpillars of this species live in a silk case, and feed on animal products like

  • hair,
  • feathers, and
  • droppings.

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

    The adult moth has white forewings with extensive ragged black or dark brown patches. The hindwings are black or dark brown with narrow gold edges. The moth has areas of raised scales on the wings. The wingspan is about 1.5 cms.

    The species is found in

  • New Zealand,

    as well as over most of Australia, including

  • Western Australia,
  • Northern Territory,
  • Queensland,
  • New South Wales,
  • Australian Capital Territory,
  • Victoria, and
  • South Australia.

    Further reading :

    Ian F.B. Common,
    Moths of Australia,
    Melbourne University Press, 1990, figs. 19.14, 50.17, p. 184.

    Peter B. McQuillan, Jan A. Forrest, David Keane, & Roger Grund,
    Caterpillars, moths, and their plants of Southern Australia,
    Butterfly Conservation South Australia Inc., Adelaide (2019), p. 43.

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

    Francis Walker,
    Tortricites & Tineites,
    List of the Specimens of Lepidopterous Insects in the Collection of the British Museum,
    Part 28 (1863), pp. 483-494, No. 94.

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    (updated 18 July 2010, 22 February 2025)