Oxythecta hieroglyphica Meyrick, 1885
 (one synonym is Machaeritis oxyptila Turner, 1944)
CHEZALA GOUP
OECOPHORINAE,   OECOPHORIDAE,   GELECHIOIDEA
 
Don Herbison-Evans,
(donherbisonevans@yahoo.com)
and
Stella Crossley

Oxythecta hieroglyphica
(Photo: courtesy of Ken Harris, Genoa Falls, Victoria)

These Caterpillars are thought to feed on the droppings of marsupials.

The adult moth has white forewings with dark brown speckles and several bold dark brown markings. The hindwings are pale brown fading to white at the bases. The upturned labial palps have black tips. The wingspan is about 1.5 cms.

Oxythecta hieroglyphica
(Photo: courtesy of CSIRO/BIO Photography Group, Centre for Biodiversity Genomics, University of Guelph)

The species has been found in Australia in:

  • Queensland,
  • New South Wales,
  • Australian Capital Territory,
  • Victoria, and
  • South Australia.

    Further reading :

    Ian F.B. Common,
    Oecophorine Genera of Australia II:
    The Chezala, Philobota and Eulechria groups (Lepidoptera: Oecophoridae)    ,
    Monographs on Australian Lepidoptera Volume 5,
    CSIRO Publishing, 1997, pp. 90, 91, 93.

    Edward Meyrick,
    Descriptions of Australian Micro-lepidoptera XII Oecophoridae,
    Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales,
    Series 1, Volume 9, Number 4 (1885), pp. 1052-1053, No. 356.

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    (written 27 January 2017, updated 25 October 2018, 12 September 2020, 25 April 2022)