XYLORYCTIDAE, GELECHIOIDEA | (donherbisonevans@yahoo.com) and Stella Crossley |
drawing by Harriet and Helena Scott,
Australian Lepidoptera, Volume 1 (1864), Plate 3,
image courtesy of Biodiversity Heritage Library,
digitized by
Australian Museum.
This Caterpillar is off-white with a series of black marks along the back, and has a rusty brown thorax. The caterpillar bores a hole into the branch of a tree. It has been found feeding on various trees, including :
The caterpillars grow to a length of about 2.5 cms. They pupate in their borehole.
The adult moth has grey wings each with greenish and pinkish areas. The abdomen is white. The wingspan is about 2.5 cms.
The species has been found in :
Further reading :
Ian McMillan,
Cryptophasa immaculata, Xyloryctine Moths of Australia,
Blog, Wednesday, September 15, 2010.
Michael F. Braby and Penny Olsen.
A Flutter of Butterflies,
National Library of Australia, 2011, p. 98.
Harriet, Helena, and Alexander W. Scott,
Australian Lepidoptera,
Australian Lepidoptera and their Transformations,
Volume 1 (1864), p. 9, and also
Plate 3.
caterpillar | butterflies | Lepidoptera | moths | caterpillar |
(written 19 June 2014, updated 11 January 2023)