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.


    previous
    back
    caterpillar
    Australian
    Australian Butterflies
    butterflies
    Australian
    home
    Lepidoptera
    Australian
    Australian Moths
    moths
    next
    next
    caterpillar

    (written 1 January 2019, updated 8 September 2020)