Eulechria contentella

Eulechria contentella (Walker, 1864)
(previously known as Oecophora contentella)
EULECHRIA GROUP
OECOPHORINAE, OECOPHORIDAE, GELECHIOIDEA

Don Herbison-Evans,
(donherbisonevans@yahoo.com)
and
Stella Crossley

Eulechria contentella
(Photo: courtesy of Donald Hobern, Aranda, Australian Capital Territory)

The Caterpillar of this species is expected to feed on dead leaves, as do others in this genus Eulechria, although different species in this genus seem each to prefer different host plants. The caterpillar probably lives in a tubular silk lined gallery, incorporating debris and frass, in amongst the dead leaves.

The caterpillar probably pupates in a larger and looser chamber at one end of the gallery.

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

The adult moth has white forewings, each with four dark brown bands across each one. The hindwings are plain pale brown. The wingspan is about 1.5 cm.

The species has been found in eastern Australia, including:

Queensland,

New South Wales, and

Australian Capital Territory.

Further reading :

Ian F.B. Common,
Moths of Australia,
Melbourne University Press, 1990, fig. 22.3, p. 224.

Oecophorine Genera of Australia II: The Chezala, Philobota and Eulechria groups (Lepidoptera: Oecophoridae),
Monographs on Australian Lepidoptera Volume 5,
CSIRO Publishing, 1997, pp. 354, 363.

Francis Walker,
List of the Specimens of Lepidopterous Insects in the Collection of the British Museum,
Volume 30, 1864, p. 1031.