Oiketicus species Two-ways Casemoth OIKETICINAE,   PSYCHIDAE,   TINEOIDEA

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

drawing by John O. Westwood,
Descriptions of some species of Lepidopterous insects belonging to the genus Oiketicus,
Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London, Volume 22 (1854), Plate Annulosa XXXIV, fig. 6,
image courtesy of Biodiversity Heritage Library, digitized by Natural History Museum Library, London.

This Caterpillar has long sticks attached parallel to the case axis to the top half of it's case, and short sticks to the bottom half at right angles to the case axis. Presumably the early instars of the caterpillar attach short sticks at right-angles to the case, and the later instars attach longer sticks parallel to the case as they continue to lenthen it to accommodate their growing bodies. The case can grow to a length of up to 4 cms.

(Photo: courtesy of Michael Mulvaney, Red Hill, Australian Capital Territory)

A specimen like this has been found in

Australian Capital Territory.

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Further reading :

John O. Westwood,
Descriptions of some species of Lepidopterous insects belonging to the genus Oiketicus,
Proceedings of The Zoological Society of London,
Part 22 (1854), p. 234, and also Plate 34, fig. 6

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(written 9 September 2017, updated 20 July 2024)