Saunders' Case Moths, Large Bagworm - Metura elongatus (Oiketicus elongatus)
Family Psychidae
This page contains information and pictures about Large Bagworms that we found in the Brisbane area, Queensland, Australia.
- Case length 90mm Photo: Keith Power, Toowoomba
- Large Bagworms actually are case moth caterpillar. The caterpillar lives in a case made of its silk and plants materials. The adults are known as Saunders' Case Moths. Large Bagworm is a large caterpillar with 10mm in cross diameter. It body is orange-brown in colour with black eyes pattern on its thorax.
- The case moths pupate within their case, they hang their bag by the front to a twig and securely with silk The second picture shows a moth had emerged through the bottom opening and left the empty case.
- We found this case moth caterpillar in summer. It was feeding on our palm tree. We had kept it for a few weeks. It fed at evening everyday. It fed on most kinds of plants leaves, including Gum tree and Wattle leaves. When disturbed it retreated back into its bag. Its bag had two openings at each end. At one end it came out for feeding. At the other end it dumped its waste.
- We will keep it until it turn into a moth. Please come back to this page later to see if it has turn into a moth.
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- For some reason, the owner of this bag changed its way on making the bag during it development time. Half of its bag is made if small sticks and half is made of dry banksia leaves.
- Reference:
- 1. Moths of Australia - I. F. B. Common, Melbourne University Press, 1990, plate 51.5 (Oiketicus elongatus).
- 2. Metura elongatus - Caterpillars of Australian Moths - Don Herbison-Evans & Stella Crossley, 2007.
- 3. REVISION OF THE AUSTRALIAN PSYCHIDAE - MEYRICK. E and LOWER O B. (1907).
