Xylorycta argentella (Walker, 1864)
QM
ANIC
Cryptolechia argentella Walker, 1864, Tineites. List of the Specimens of Lepidopterous Insects in the Collection of the British Museum. Vol. 29. 562–835 pp. [750]. Holotype BMNH ♀, Sydney, NSW.
Xylorycta argentella Walk. Meyrick, 1890: Descriptions of Australian Lepidoptera. Part I. Xyloryctidae. Transactions of the Royal Society of South Australia 13: 23–81 [60].
Xylorycta argentella Walk. Lower, 1896: A catalogue of Victorian Heterocera. Part xix. The Victorian Naturalist, 12: 149-152 [151].
Xylorycta argentella Walk. Turner, 1898. The Xyloryctidae of Queensland. Annals of the Queensland Museum 4: 1–32 [14].
Xylorycta argentella (Walker, 1864). Common, in Nielsen, Edwards, & Rangsi, 1996, Checklist of the Lepidoptera of Australia. Monographs on Australian Lepidoptera, 4: i-xiv, 1-529 & CD-ROM [88].
Xylorycta argentella (Walker, 1864). Beccaloni, G. W., Scoble, M. J., Robinson, G. S. & Pitkin, B. (Editors). 2003. The Global Lepidoptera Names Index (LepIndex). World Wide Web electronic publication. http://www.nhm.ac.uk/entomology/lepindex [accessed 5 May 2010].
Xylorycta argentella (Walker, 1864). 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, Walker 1864
Cryptolechia argentella.
Foem. Argenteo-alba; caput apud oculos ochraceum; palpi pedesque anteriores nigricantes; abdomen fasciis auratis; tibiae posticae fimbriate; alae posticae nigro-cinereae, fimbria flavo-alba.
Female. Silvery white, shining. Head ochraceous about the eyes. Palpi smooth, mostly blackish, much longer than the breadth of the head; third joint setiform, a little shorter than the second. Abdomen with gilded bands, hardly extending beyond the hind wings. Anterior legs mostly blackish; hind tibiae fringed. Fore wings slightly acute; exterior border, straight, moderately oblique; under side and hind wings blackish cinereous, the latter with yellowish white fringe. Length of the body 6 lines [12.7mm]; of the wings, 16 lines [33.9mm].
a. Sydney. From Mr. Diggles’ collection.
Subsequent description, Meyrick 1890
Xyl. argentella, Walk.
(Cryptolechia argentella, Walk., 750.)
Both sexes 18-30 mm. Head pale yellowish-ochreous, sides of face light fuscous. Palpi white, second joint fuscous except on lower half beneath. Antennae whitish. Thorax white, becoming whitish-ochreous anteriorly. Abdomen white, anal tuft ochreous-tinged. Legs dark fuscous, apex of joints whitish, posterior pair whitish-ochreous. Forewings elongate, moderate, costa gently arched, apex. round-pointed, hindmargin straight, oblique; shining white, faintly ochreous-tinged, more distinctly on costal edge; costal edge very slenderly black on basal fourth: cilia ochreous-white. Hindwings light grey, becoming ochreous-whitish towards inner margin; cilia ochreous-whitish.
Sydney, New South Wales; Melbourne, Victoria; Deloraine and Hobart, Tasmania; from October to March, rather common.
X. argentella, Walk. (Cryptolechia argentella. Walk., 750; Xylorycta argentella, Meyr., Tr. Roy. Soc. S.A., 60, 1889).
Melbourne. (Lower, 1896).
X. argentella, Walk. (Cryptolechia argentella,
Walk. 750; Xylorycta argentella, Meyrick, 60.) Antennal ciliations of male, 2. Brisbane: one specimen. (Turner, 1898).
Diagnosis:
Description:
Head:
Thorax:
Abdomen:
Food plants:
Flight period: October, November, December, January, February, March.
Distribution: New South Wales. Endemic. (Edwards, 2003).
Remarks: