Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Xylorycta castanea


Xylorycta castanea (Turner, 1902).


NMV

NMV

Lichenaula castanea Turner, 1902, New Australian Lepidoptera. Transactions of the Royal Society of South Australia  26: 175–207 [197]. Holotype NMV ♀, Birchip, Vic.
Xylorycta castanea (Turner, 1902). Common, in Nielsen, Edwards, & Rangsi, 1996, Checklist of the Lepidoptera of Australia. Monographs on Australian Lepidoptera, 4: i-xiv, 1-529 & CD-ROM [89].
Xylorycta castanea (Turner, 1902). Edwards, E. D. (2003), Xyloryctinae. Australian Faunal Directory. Australian Biological Resources Study, Canberra. http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/abrs/online-resources/fauna/afd/taxa/XYLORYCTINAE [accessed 19 June 2010].

Original description, Turner 1902
Lichenaula castanea, n. sp.
Female, 17 mm. Head white. Palpi long, terminal joint as long as second; whitish, apical portion of terminal joint fuscous. Antennae fuscous, basal joint white. Thorax whitish (rubbed). Abdomen reddish-ochreous-fuscous, apices of segments and tuft whitish-grey; beneath dark fuscous, irrorated with whitish. Legs whitish. Forewings elongate-oblong, costa moderately arched, apex rounded, hindmargin but little oblique, rounded beneath; whitish irrorated with reddish-brown and purple-brown scales forming very confused markings; the purple-brown scales predominate along inner margin, the reddish-brown tend to form four suffused nearly equi-distant transverse fasciae. Of these, the last, which is hindmarginal, is the best marked; cilia white, mixed with bright reddish-brown. Hindwings grey; cilia ochreous-whitish, with a fuscous line at one-third, towards anal angle grey.
Not very near any other species.
Birchup, Victoria; one specimen in November.
Type in CoIl. Lyell.

Diagnosis:
Description:
Head:
Thorax:
Abdomen:
Food plants:
Flight period: November.
Distribution: Victoria. Endemic. (Edwards, 2003).

Remarks: