Prepalla tephrina (Meyrick, 1884)
(previously known as Pleurota tephrina)
CHEZALA GOUP
OECOPHORINAE,   OECOPHORIDAE,   GELECHIOIDEA
 
Don Herbison-Evans,
(donherbisonevans@yahoo.com)
and
Stella Crossley

Prepalla tephrina
(Photo: courtesy of Cathy Powers, Brisbane Ranges, Victoria)

The forewings of the adult moth of this species have streaky fawn forewings, each with darker streaks along the costa, along the middle of the wings, and along the hind margin. The hindwings are a paler fawn, shading darker at the margins. The second segments of the labial palps are prominently clothed in expanded scales, and the terminal segments long and upcurved. The wingspan is about 2 cms.

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

The species has been found in

  • Queensland,
  • New South Wales,
  • Australian Capital Territory,
  • Victoria,
  • Tasmania,
  • South Australia, and
  • Western 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. 166-171.

    Edward Meyrick,
    Descriptions of Australian Micro-Lepidoptera. XI. Oecophoriidae,
    Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales,
    Volume 9, Part 3 (1884), pp. 748, 750-751, No. 286.


    previous
    back
    caterpillar
    Australian
    Australian Butterflies
    butterflies
    Australian
    home
    Lepidoptera
    Australian
    Australian Moths
    moths
    next
    next
    caterpillar

    (written 4 May 2020)