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

The adult moth has grey speckled wings, sometimes with a white mark near the middle of each wing. The abdomen is orange on top and grey underneath. The male moths have a wingspan of about 1 cm. The females have a wingspan of about 0.8 cm.

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

The species has been found in:

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

The genus suggested for this species is controversial.

drawing by Arthur G. Butler, listed as Procris rufiventris,
Illustrations of typical specimens of Lepidoptera Heterocera in the collection of the British Museum,
Part 1 (1877), Plate VI, fig. 7,
image courtesy of Biodiversity Heritage Library, digitized by Gerstein Library, University of Toronto.

Further Reading:

Gerhard M. Tarmann,
Zygaenid moths of Australia,
CSIRO Publishing 2004, p. 174.

Francis Walker,
Catalogue of Lepidoptera Heterocera,
List of the Specimens of Lepidopterous Insects in the Collection of the British Museum,
Part 1 (1854), p. 110, No. 11.

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(updated 15 June 2009, 9 February 2024)