Metallarcha calliaspis Meyrick, 1884 Bleeding Metallarcha Moth SPILOMELINAE,   CRAMBIDAE,   PYRALOIDEA

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

(Photo: courtesy of Jesse & Peter Koch, Mount Drummond, South Australia)

The adult moth of this species has pale yellow forewings, each with five black stripes. One is along the costa, and the others form the shape, extending completely across the wing, of a capital letter 'A' which includes a smaller black upside-down capital letter 'L'. The inside of the 'A' is bright orange. The hindwings are yellow with broad black margins. The moth has a wingspan of about 2 cms.

(Photo: copyright of Brett and Marie Smith, at Ellura Sanctuary, South Australia)

The species is found over inland Australia in:

South Australia.

underside
(Photo: copyright of Brett and Marie Smith, at Ellura Sanctuary, South Australia)

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Further reading :

Peter B. McQuillan, Jan A. Forrest, David Keane, & Roger Grund,
Caterpillars, moths, and their plants of Southern Australia,
Butterfly Conservation South Australia Inc., Adelaide (2019), p. 89.

Edward Meyrick,
On the classification of Australian Pyralidina,
Transactions of the Entomological Society of London,
1884, p. 332.

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(written 12 January 2017, updated 14 March 2022)