Xylorycta placidella (Walker, 1864)
Cryptolechia placidella Walker, 1864, Tineites. List of the Specimens of Lepidopterous Insects in the Collection of the British Museum. Vol. 29. 562–835 pp. [750, 751]. Syntype(s) BMNH 5♂, Sydney, NSW; Moreton Bay, Qld; Australia.
Telecrates placidella Walk. Meyrick, 1890: Descriptions of Australian Lepidoptera. Part I. Xyloryctidae. Transactions of the Royal Society of South Australia 13: 23–81 [63].
Telecrates placidella Walk. Lower, 1896: A catalogue of Victorian Heterocera. Part xix. The Victorian Naturalist, 12: 149-152 [152].
Xylorycta placidella Walk. Turner, 1898. The Xyloryctidae of Queensland. Annals of the Queensland Museum 4: 1–32 [14].
Xylorycta placidella, (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 [89].
Telecrates placidella, (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 6 May 2010].
Xylorycta placidella, (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 placidella.
Mas. Flavescente-alba; palpi nigricantes; antennae glabrae; tibiae posticae subfimbriatae; alae anticae apice subrotundatae, costa fimbriaque pallide ochraceis; posticae obscure cinereiae
Var. β —Argenteo-alba; alae anticae costa fimbriaque sub-ochraceis; postice pallide cinereae.
Male. Yellowish white, smooth, stout. Palpi smooth, nearly twice longer than the breadth of the head; second joint mostly blackish; third setiform, as long as the second. Antennae stout, smooth. Thorax pale ochraceous. Abdomen extending a little beyond the hind wings; apical tuft rather large. Hind tibiae stout, slightly fringed. Fore wings slightly rounded at the tips; costa and fringe pale ochraceous; under side blackish cinereous; exterior border straight, moderately oblique. Hind wings dark cinereous; fringe pale ochraceous.
Var. β — Head, thorax and fore wings silvery white; thorax, costa and fringe slightly tinged with ochraceous. Hind wings pale cinereous. Length of the body 4 lines [8.5mm]; of the wings 12 lines [25.4mm].
a. Sydney. From Mr. Diggles’ collection.
b, c. Sydney. From Mr. Lambert’s collection.
d. Australia. From Mr. Damel’s collection.
e. Moreton Bay. From Mr. Diggles’ collection.
Subsequent description, Meyrick 1890
Tel. placidella, Walk.
(Cryptolechia placidella, Walk. 750.)
Male 19-20 mm. Head white, sides of face broadly fuscous. Palpi white, upper half of second joint dark fuscous. Antennae white, annulated with fuscous. Thorax white, anteriorly becoming whitish-ochreous. Abdomen ochreous-whitish. Legs ochreous-whitish, anterior and middle pair suffusedly banded with fuscous. Forewings elongate, costa moderately arched, apex roundpointed, hindmargin slightly sinuate, oblique; shining white; costal edge whitish-ochreous, extreme edge dark fuscous towards base: cilia whitish-ochreous, towards anal angle more yellowish-tinged. Hindwings with veins 6 and 7 from a point; pale whitish-ochreous, posterior half, except margin, suffused with light grey; cilia whitish-ochreous.
Sydney, New South Wales; in November, three specimens.
Other references
[Cryptolechia cognatella (Xylorycta luteotactella)] Closely allied to C. placidella. (Walker, 1864).
T. placidella, Walk. (Cryptolechia placidella, Walk., 750; Telecrates placidella, Meyr., loc. cit., 63, 1889). (Lower, 1896).
Xylorycta placidella, Walk. (Cryptolechia placidella Walk. 750; Telecrates placidella, Meyrick, 63.) Antennal ciliations of male, ½. Brisbane: not uncommon. (Turner, 1898).
Diagnosis:
Description:
Head:
Thorax:
Abdomen:
Food plants:
Flight period: November.
Distribution: New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria. Endemic. (Edwards, 2003).
Remarks: Fragmentary DNA from the type specimen of Xylorycta placidella (Walker, 1864) (BMNH) matches part of a more complete sequence from X. assimilis. These species may yet prove to be identical.
Updated 19 September 2019.