Wingia lambertella

Wingia lambertella (Wing, [1850])
Pink Leaf Moth
(previously known as Palparia lambertella)
WINGIA GROUP, OECOPHORINAE, OECOPHORIDAE, GELECHIOIDEA

Don Herbison-Evans,
(donherbisonevans@yahoo.com)
and
Stella Crossley
and
Mike & Pat Coupar

Wingia lambertella
(Photo from: "Flying Colours", Coupar & Coupar, 1992)

This species was named after Mr Lambert who reared the type specimen from a Caterpillar.

drawing by William Wing, listed as Palparia lambertella,
Characters of three new Genera and Species of Lepidoptera,
Proceedings of the Zoolological Society of London, 1849, Plate 14, fig 5,
image courtesy of Internet Archive, digitized by Natural History Museum Library, London.

The caterpillars are brownish green, and covered in sparse white hairs. The caterpillars feed on various species of:

Gum Trees ( Eucalyptus, MYRTACEAE ),

and live in shelters of partly eaten and dead leaves joined by silk, and partly covered in frass. They grow to a length of about 2 cms.

The caterpillars pupate in their shelter

(Photo: courtesy of Ian McMillan, Imbil, Queensland)

The moths have a wingspan of up to 4 cm. The forewings are pink with yellow lines, and the hindwings can be pink or yellow.

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

The species has been found in:

South Australia, and

drawing by William Wing, listed as Palparia lambertella,
Characters of three new Genera and Species of Lepidoptera,
Proceedings of the Zoolological Society of London, Volume 105 (1849), Plate 14, fig 4,
image courtesy of Internet Archive, digitized by Natural History Museum Library, London.