Hemibela platyxantha (Lower, 1894)
 (formerly known as Caesyra platyxantha)
WINGIA GROUP,   OECOPHORINAE,   OECOPHORIDAE,   GELECHIOIDEA
 
Don Herbison-Evans,
(donherbisonevans@yahoo.com)
and
Stella Crossley

Hemibela platyxantha
(Photo: courtesy of Rog Standen, Wandown, Victoria)

The Caterpillars of this species are thought to live in a hollowed out twig which they carry around. The caterpillars are expected to feed on

  • Gum Trees (Eucalyptus species, MYRTACEAE).

    The caterpillars probably pupate in their twig, anchoring it to a branch or convenient object.

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

    These adult moths have yellow forewings each with a large brown marginal patch, and a narrow brown line along the costa. The hindwings are brown. The head is yellow, and the thorax is brown with yellow sides. The wingspan is about 1.3 cms.

    The species has been found in :

  • 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, p. 329.

    Oswald B. Lower,
    New species and genera of Australian Lepidoptera. No. XXIII.,
    Transactions of the Royal Society of South Australia,
    Volume 31 (1907), p. 118.

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    (written 23 September 2024)