Lepidoscia arctiella

Lepidoscia arctiella (Walker, 1860)
Tower Case Moth
(previously known as Tinea arctiella)
PSYCHIDAE, TINEOIDEA

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

Lepidoscia arctiella
(Specimen: courtesy of the The Australian Museum)

This Caterpillar attaches sticks all around its case, all of the same length, and attaches them parallel to the axis of the case. When the caterpillar grows sufficiently long, it attaches a new set similarly arranged to the old set, except that more are attached so that the radius of the new part of the case is bigger. The caterpillar does this several times as it grows, giving a tiered appearance to the case. The case can grow to a length of up to 3 cms.

(Photo: courtesy of Alison Milton, The Pinnacle, Australian Capital Territory)

The caterpillar has been found feeding on plants in the families :

EPACRIDACEAE,

MIMOSACEAE, and

PROTEACEAE,

and in particular: flowers of

Yellow Buttons (Chrysocephalum apiculatum, ASTERACEAE) and

Blackthorn (Bursaria spinosa, PITTOSPORACEAE).

showing empty pupal skin of a male adult moth extruded from the end of the case
(Photo: courtesy of Lisa, Hughes, Australian Capital Territory)

The caterpillar pupates in its case. When a male adult is ready to emerge, he pushes the pupa out of the back end of the case.

male
(Photo: courtesy of Lisa, Hughes, Australian Capital Territory)

male
(Photo: courtesy of Diana Davey, Yuraygir National Park, New South Wales)

The adult male moth has dark grey wings with variable off-white patches. His wingspan is about 2 cms.

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

The adult female is wingless. She is off-white with a brown head, thorax, and tip to the abdomen. She stays within the case. The male has to extend his sex organs through the rear hole in her case to fertilise her.

female
(Photo: courtesy of the Photography Group, Centre for Biodiversity Genomics, University of Guelph)

The species has been found in

Australian Capital Territory,

Victoria,

Tasmania, and

South Australia.