feeding on the wood and the bark.

Female
(Photo: courtesy of Dianne Clarke, Mapleton, Queensland)

The female adult moth has forewings that vary from satin white through pink or yellow to dark gey, usually with three or four dark dots near the middle, and a row of dark dots along each margin. The hindwings are dark grey, fading at the margins. The body is black, but with an orange segment halfway along the abdomen.

Male, white form

The males vary from white, through grey, to nearly black. They have thicker antennae than the females, and are smaller than the females, having a wingspan of about 3 cms.

Female
(Specimen: courtesy of the Macleay Museum, University of Sydney)

The females have a wingspan of about 5 cms.

Male, dark form
(Specimen: courtesy of the Macleay Museum, University of Sydney)

The species is found in Australia in:

Male, white form
(Specimen: courtesy of the Macleay Museum, University of Sydney)

Further reading :

Ian F.B. Common,
Moths of Australia,
Melbourne University Press, 1990, pl. 6.7, p. 230.

Ian McMillan,
Cryptophasa balteata, Xyloryctine Moths of Australia,
Blog, Saturday, September 18, 2010.

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(updated 22 April 2009, 25 May 2020)