Araeostoma aenicta (Turner, 1917)
 XYLORYCTIDAE,   GELECHIOIDEA
 
Don Herbison-Evans
(donherbisonevans@yahoo.com)
and
Stella Crossley

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

The Caterpillars of this species have been found feeding on the foliage of

  • Swamp She-oak ( Casuaria glauca, CASUARINACEAE ).

    The caterpillars have been considered as a possible control agent for invasive Casuarina species in Florida (U.S.A.).

    The adult moth has speckled grey-brown forewings, each having two black-centred pale zigzag marks, one large and one small, near the middle. The hindwings are plain brown. The wingspan is about 2.5 cms.

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

    The species occurs around Australia, including

  • Queensland,
  • New South Wales,
  • Victoria,
  • Tasmania,
  • South Australia, and
  • Western Australia.

    Further reading :

    Ian McMillan,
    Araeostoma,
    Xyloryctine Moths of Australia,
    Blog, Monday, October 11, 2010.

    A. Jefferis Turner,
    Lepidopterological gleanings,
    Proceedings of the Royal Society of Queensland,
    Volume 29 (1917), p. 98.

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    (written 1 January 2019, updated 8 September 2020)