Cryptophasa sacerdos Turner, 1902
♂, ANIC
♀, ANIC
♀, AM
Zitua ? sacerdos, Walsingham, 1898, Proceedings of the Entomological Society of London, vii-xii. following p. 444. Nomen nudum.
Cryptophasa sacerdos Turner, 1902. New Australian Lepidoptera. Transactions of the Royal Society of South Australia 26: 175–207 [204]. Syntype(s) BMNH number unknown ♂♀, Brisbane, Qld.
Cryptophasa sacerdos 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 [87].
Cryptophasa sacerdos Turner, 1902. 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 17 April 2010].
Cryptophasa sacerdos 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 18 June 2010].
Original description, Turner 1902
Cryptophasa sacerdos, Wlsm., M.S.
Male, 37 mm. Head pale reddish-orange. Palpi white, terminal joint dark fuscous. Antennae black, pectinations 2, 3. Thorax white, anteriorly faintly suffused with reddish-orange. Abdomen dark fuscous. Legs blackish, with white annulations. Forewings oblong, costa slightly arched at base, thence nearly straight, apex obtuse, hindmargin slightly oblique, rounded; blackish-fuscous, without markings; cilia white, basal one-fourth dark fuscous. Hindwings dark fuscous; cilia fuscous.
Female differs as follows: 50-54 mm. Abdomen dark fuscous, with white annulations, terminal segment white. Forewings clear white, base sometimes suffused with fuscous; a black dot in disc at three-fifths; a row of black dots along apical third of costa and hindmargin; cilia white. Hindwings fuscous; along costa white; some obscure blackish dots on hindmargin; cilia, white, towards anal angle greyish.
The sexes are very different.
Brisbane, larvae tunnelling the stems of Eucalyptus (Bloodwood).
Types in Coll. Walsingham.
Other reference
Z. ? sacerdos, MS., ♂, ♀, pupa, burrow; ...
In Z. sacerdos the male is black but retains a white thorax, ... (Walsingham, 1898).
Diagnosis:
Description:
Head:
♀, AM, photograph by David Britton
Thorax:
Abdomen:
Food plants: Larval foodplant: Corymbia sp. (Myrtaceae). (Edwards, 2003).
Flight period:
Distribution: Queensland. Endemic. (Edwards, 2003).
Remarks: Males are considerably smaller than females, almost half the wingspan.