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- This page contains pictures and information about Concealer Moths in
family Oecophoridae that we
found in Brisbane area, Queensland, Australia.
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- Oecophoridae is a very large moth family. They are common in Australia but not
quite in
the other parts of the world. Adult Concealer Moths are from small to medium size.
Some of them are colourful. The head is usually
covered with smooth hairy-looking scales. When rest, they usually held the
antenna backwards along the outside edge of wing. Some species held wings roof-like
and some held wing flat back over body. They are not active fliers, usually
found resting on plants during the day.
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- Concealer Moths
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- As most of the other moths, they are active
at night. One special characteristic is they
have the upturn pointed stickle-shaped labial palpi in front of their head. The apical
segment is usually slender, tapering and acute.
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-
Larvae
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- The caterpillars are usually small and hairless, have wide variable of
"concealed" habits, from spinning leaves together to constructing
various forms of portable cases. Some of them make tunnel in wood, stems,
flowers or galls. Some of them feed on decay plant materials. Most of
the larvae in family Oecophoridae associate with Eucalyptus.
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- Different forms of Concealer Moth caterpillar's case.
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- There are four subfamilies in Oecophoridae, they are the
Stathmopodinae, Autostichinae, Stenomatinae and Oecophorinae. In some
reference the Xyloryctinae is included in this family. Some other reference
listed Xyloryctinae as the family Xyloryctidae.
Stathmopodinae - Narrow-winged Concealer Moths
- Moths in this subfamily are narrow-winged. They are small in size with
recurved divergent labial palpi. Larvae are found feeding on green leaves, as
leaf-miner, boring in flowers, fruits or galls. Some are found feeding on dead
leaves or as predator to scale
insects or spider eggs.
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- Lycid-mimicking Moth
 - Snellenia lineata, body length 8mm
- This is a small moth mimicking a Lycid
Beetle. It has the Lycid brick-red colours. Its antenna, head and thorax
all look similar to Lycid. What are the advantages of mimicking a Lycid
Beetle? Please check this page for more
information.
Autostichinae
- This is a small subfamily and we did not found any of them
yet.
Stenomatinae - Grey Concealer Moths
- Grey Bark Moth
 - Agriophara discobola, body length 30mm
- The fore wings of the moth are cryptically patterned. It is hard to be
noticed when resting on tree trunk. Larvae live between joined leaves of
Myrtaceae includes Eucalyptus. Please check this page
for more information.
Oecophorinae
- This is the largest subfamily in OECOPHORIDAE. The adult moths are from small to medium
size. They are common in Eucalyptus forests. Larvae feed on
gumtree leaves, some on fresh and some on dead leaves.
-
Wingia group
- Leaf-case Moths
- Garrha sp,
body 15mm
- Genus Garrha larvae make portable cases from dead Eucalyptus
leaves upon which they feed. We found a few number of difference Garrha
sp. and all put in one page. Please check this page
for more information.
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- Wattle Concealer Moth
 - Epicurica laetiferanus, body length 20mm
- Photos were taken on Mar 2010 outside my office in Eight Mile Plains. It
was attracted by a fluorescent lamp there. From reference information the larvae feed
on Acacia. Please check this page for more
information.
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- Banded Concealer Moth I
 - Eochrois platyphaea, body length 20mm
- There are a lot of black and white banded moths in the family OECOPHORIDAE
as well as the other moth families. They may be looked very similar.
- Please check this page
for more information.
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- Banded Concealer Moth II
  - Zonopetala clerota, body length 15mm
- This moth mimics bird-dropping
in dirty black and white colours. During the day it was usually found resting
on leaf. Please check this page
for more details.
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- Purple-banded Concealer Moth I
 
 - Chrysonoma fascialis, body length 20mm
- The moth is banded in
purple and yellow colours. Please check this page
for more pictures and information.
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- Purple-banded Concealer Moth
II
 - ? Chrysonoma sp., body length 20mm
- Pictures were taken on Oct 2009, Carbrook Wetland. Please check this page
for more information.
- Banded Concealer Moth III
- Eulechria platyrrhabda, body length 15mm
- Pictures taken in Bulimba Creek near Yimbun Park on Oct 2007. From
reference information the larvae feed on Eucalyptus leaves. Some may
feed on dead leaves. Please check this page
for more information.
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- Tube Concealer Moth
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- Hemibela tyranna, body length 20mm
- Caterpillars of genus Hemibela live in tube. They make a hollow
tube from small twig and live inside as protection. They change tube when
they grow up. They pupate inside the tube as well. All of them feed on gum
leaves. More information and pictures can be found in this page.
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- Tunnel Concealer Moth
  - Philobota ellenella, body length 15mm
- Quite a number of this moth were found in Karawatha Forest on August
2007. The moth has colourful long wings. Please check this page
for more information.
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- Banded Concealer Moth IV
 - Brachynemata diantha, body length 20mm
- Feb 2010, outside office. This moth was attracted there by a fluorescent lamp
there. Please check this page for
more information.
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- Concealer Moth Caterpillars
- ?sp., body length 20mm
- This caterpillar builds retreat with silk between two leaves. They look like
the caterpillars in this family, but not so sure.
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- Reference:
- 1. Moths
of Australia - I. F. B. Common, Melbourne University Press, 1990,
p217.
- 2. Insects of Australia and New Zealand - R. J. Tillyard, Angus
& Robertson, Ltd, Sydney, 1926, p424.
- 3. OECOPHORIDAE
of Australia - Caterpillars
of Australian Moths - Don Herbison-Evans & Stella Crossley, 2009.
- 4. Moths - family Oecophoridae - lifeunseen.com by Nick Monaghan.
- 5. Oecophoridae - Insects of Townsville, Australia - Graeme Cocks.
- 6. A Guide to Australian Moths - Paul Zborowski, Ted Edwards, CSIRO PUBLISHING, 2007,
p64.
- 7. Family OECOPHORIDAE - Australian Faunal Directory, Australian Biological Resources Study.
- 8. Australian Moths Online - CSIRO Ecosystem Sciences 2011.
- 9. Northern
Territory Insects, A Comprehensive Guide CD - Graham Brown, 2009.
[ Up ] [ OECOPHORIDAE ] [ XYLORYCTIDAE ] [ BLASTOBASIDAE ] [ COSMOPTERIGIDAE ] [ GELECHIIDAE ] [ LECITHOCERIDAE ] [ Unknown Caterpillars and Moths in this Group ]
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