(previously known as Heliocausta mimica) WINGIA GROUP, OECOPHORINAE, OECOPHORIDAE, GELECHIOIDEA | (donherbisonevans@yahoo.com) and Stella Crossley |
(Photo: courtesy of
Donald Hobern, Aranda, Australian Capital Territory)
These Caterpillars live in a shelter constructed by joining two or three leaves of the foodplant with silk and frass. The caterpillars have been found feeding on
For pupation, the caterpillar constructs a cylindrical case by cutting a piece of leaf and rolling it up. The case has a length of about 1.5 cms. The caterpillar disconnects the case from the tree so that it drops to the ground. The caterpillar then firmly attaches it to a nearby object.
The adult moths of this species have variable brown forewings with darker patches and speckles. The wingspan is about 2 cms.
The species has been found along the east coast of Australia in :
Further reading :
Ian F.B. Common,
Oecophorine Genera of Australia I:
The Wingia Group (Lepidoptera: Oecophoridae),
Monographs on Australian Lepidoptera Volume 3,
CSIRO Publishing, Melbourne 1994, pp. 24, 278-282.
Edward Meyrick,
Descriptions of Australian Micro-Lepidoptera. XIV. Oecophoridae (continued),
Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales,
Series 2, Volume 2, Part 4 (1888), p. 934.
caterpillar | butterflies | Lepidoptera | moths | caterpillar |
(updated 16 September 2013, 10 January 2015, 4 November 2020)