Gnathifera eurybias Meyrick, 1897
 (formerly known as Epermenia eurybias)
EPERMENIIDAE,   EPERMENIOIDEA
 
Don Herbison-Evans,
(donherbisonevans@yahoo.com)
and
Stella Crossley

Gnathifera eurybias
(Photo: courtesy of David Akers, Won Wron, Victoria)

The caterpillar of this species is green, with a a broad pale dorsal stripe containing a dark central line. The head and last two segments are paler. The caterpillar lives in a loose silk web on its foodplant. The caterpillar has been found feeding on

  • Cherry Ballart (Exocarpus cupressiformis, SANTALACEAE)

    Gnathifera eurybias
    (Photo: courtesy of David Akers, Won Wron, Victoria)

    Pupation occurs in a sparse cocoon, often in a suitable crack or niche.

    Gnathifera eurybias
    (Photo: courtesy of Cath Busby, Belconnen, Australian Capital Territory)

    The adult moth has grey-brown forewings, each with some dark markings, including a dark diagonal stripe of raised scales across the middle containing some orange spots. The hindwings are grey, becoming brown towards the wingtips. The wingspan is about 1.2 cm.

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

    The species has been found in

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

    Further reading :

    Edward Meyrick,
    Descriptions of Australian Microlepidoptera XVII Elachistidae,
    Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales,
    Volume 22 (1897), p. 429, No. 250.

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    (written 12 April 2022, updated 6 November 2023)