Undetermined Psychidae AH Right-handed Twisted Pyramid Casemoth PSYCHIDAE,   TINEOIDEA

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

(Photo: courtesy of Buck Richardson, Kurandah, Queensland)

This Caterpillar initially attaches four sticks around its case, all of the same length, and attaches them at right angles 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 they are slightly longer, so that the new part of the case is bigger, creating a pyramid structure.

For this caterpillar: they are attached twisted a few degrees clockwise (viewed from the small end) to the previous set of four. The caterpillar does this perhaps a dozen times as it grows, giving the pyramid a right-handed corkscrew appearance. The case can grow to a length of up to 3 cms.

The species is thought to have been found in

Queensland.

The caterpillar of Cryptothelea (Oiketicus) dewitzi may create this sort of case.

Also: this may the same species as Pyramid Casemoth with the caterpillars adding a clockwise twist to each layer, or Left-Handed Pyramid Casemoth, with the caterpillars having dislexia, and twisting each layer the wrong way, or a tidy right-handed variant of Haphazard Pyramid Casemoth.

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(updated 22 April 2011, 7 December 2025)