Homoeosoma vagella Zeller, 1848
Macadamia Flower Caterpillar
 PHYCITINAE,   PYRALIDAE,   PYRALOIDEA
 
Don Herbison-Evans
(donherbisonevans@yahoo.com)
and
Stella Crossley

Homoeosoma vagella
(Photo: courtesy of Katarina Christenson, Melba, Australian Capital Territory)

The larvae feed on the flowers of

  • Gympie Nut ( Macadamia ternifolia, PROTEACEAE ).

    Homoeosoma vagella
    (Photo: courtesy of Katarina Christenson, Melba, Australian Capital Territory)

    The adult moth has pale speckled grey forewings each with variable dark markings, sometimes as dark streaks, sometimes as two broken dark bars. The hindwings are off-white with dark veins and margins. The moth has a wingspan of about 2 cms.

    Homoeosoma vagella
    (Photo: courtesy of the 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 :

    Philipp Christoph Zeller,
    Exotische Phyciden,
    Isis von Oken,
    Volume 41, Part 11 (1848), p. 863.

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    (written 21 January 2021, updated 3 July 2024)