Tanyzancla argutella

Tanyzancla argutella (Zeller, 1877)
(formerly known as Oecophora argutella)
WINGIA GROUP, OECOPHORINAE, OECOPHORIDAE, GELECHIOIDEA

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

(Photo: courtesy of Peter Marriott, Riddells Creek, Victoria)

The Caterpillars of this species are gregarious, living together in a shelter of silk and in among th twigs of their foodplant. The caterpillars have been found feeding on

Tree Broom Heath ( Monotoca elliptica, ERICACEAE ), and

Kunzea ( Kunzea species, MYRTACEAE ).

The caterpillars pupated in their shelter.

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

The adult moth has dark brown forewings each with four or five incomplete and joined transverse yellow bands. The head is yellow and the prothorax is dark brown. The hindwings are dark brown. The moth has long upcurved labial palps. The moth has a wingspan of about 2 cms.

The species is found in Australia in

Queensland,

New South Wales,

Australian Capital Territory,

Victoria,

South Australia, and

Western Australia.

Further reading :

Ian F.B. Common,
Oecophorine Genera of Australia I: The Wingia Group (Lepidoptera: Oecophoridae),
Monographs on Australian Lepidoptera Volume 3,
CSIRO Publishing, Melbourne 1994, pp. 109, 111-112.

Philipp C. Zeller,
Exotische Microlepidopteren,
Horae Societatis Entomologicae Rossicae,
Volume 13 (1877), pp. 391-393.