Cryptophasa ochroleuca (Lower, 1892)
 Callico Stem-Borer
(previously known as Cryptophaga ochroleuca)
XYLORYCTIDAE,   GELECHIOIDEA
 
Don Herbison-Evans
(donherbisonevans@yahoo.com)
and
Stella Crossley


(Photo: copyright of Brett and Marie Smith at Ellura Sanctuary, South Australia)

The Caterpillar of this species bores into the branches of

  • Gum Trees ( Eucalyptus, MYRTACEAE ).

    It feeds on the re-growing bark.


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

    The adult moth has buff coloured forewings and satin white hindwings, each with a row of black dots around the edge of each wing. There may also various black dots on each forewing. The thorax is buff and hairy, with a black spot on top at the rear. The first abdominal segment is white and hairy, the second abdominal segment is bare and brown, and the remainder are black, except that the last is white. The moths have a wing span of about 3.5 cms.

    The species is found on the Australian tablelands, in

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

    Further reading :

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

    Oswald B. Lower,
    Descriptions of new Australian Noctuina etc,
    Transactions of the Royal Society of South Australia,
    Volume 15 (1892), pp. 15-16.

    Ian McMillan,
    Cryptophasa ochroleuca, Xyloryctine Moths of Australia,
    Blog, Monday, August 30, 2010.

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    (updated 4 December 2004, 23 March 2015, 5 October 2019, 10 September 2020)