Cryptophasa spilonota Scott, 1864.
♀ - NSW, Bonnet Bay near Como West, 20. Oct. 1998, L.S. Willan leg. (LWC). [AMO].
♀ - NSW, North Yabbra & Castle Spur Road, Yabbra State Forest 394, 15. Dec. 1999, L.S. Willan leg. (LWC). [AMO].
Cryptophasa spilonota, syntypes, AM
Cryptophasa spilonota Scott, 1864. Australian Lepidoptera and their transformations, drawn from the life by Harriet and Helena Scott. 1. London : John van Voorst [ii]+36 pp., pls 1–9 [10]. Syntype(s) AM ♂, Ash Island [Kooragang Island], Newcastle, NSW.
Cryptophasa spilonota Scott. Walker, 1866. Supplement 5. List of the Specimens of Lepidopterous Insects in the Collection of the British Museum. Vol. 35. 1534-2040 (1981).
Cryptophasa spilonota. C. Crüger, 1867, Australian Lepidoptera and their transformations, (review and translation), Stettiner Entomologische Zeitung, 1867, 285-306, (292).
Cryptophaga spilonata, Scott. Meyrick, 1890: Descriptions of Australian Lepidoptera. Part I. Xyloryctidae. Transactions of the Royal Society of South Australia 13: 23–81 [35].
Xylorycta spilonata, Lower, 1896, A catalogue of Victorian Heterocera. Part xix. The Victorian Naturalist, 12: 149-152 [151].
Cryptophaga spilonota, Scott. Turner, 1898. The Xyloryctidae of Queensland. Annals of the Queensland Museum 4: 1–32 [11].
Cryptophasa spilonota Scott, 1864. 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 spilonota Scott, 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 17 April 2010].
Cryptophasa spilonota Scott, 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 18 June 2010].
Original description, Scott 1864
Pl. III: Scott, 1864.
CRYPTOPHASA SPILONOTA — (Plate III.)
We are indebted to the Banksia serrata for providing us with many examples of this species, for, like their predecessors, they are by no means rare. Although no diversity can be discerned in the formation of their habitations, or in the choice of any favoured locality (several species will inhabit the same tree) yet these caterpillars vary greatly in their colouring from the ones we have described; they have the head black. First segment yellowish, darker anteriorly and squamose; the remaining portion of the body deep neutral tint, each segment possessing four spots along the back, the two front ones yellowish, the two hind ones white; and a lateral row of yellow spots, all emitting setae.
The larva is in length about 1 2/3 inch.
The chrysalis (fig. 1) light reddish-brown, with the head black and spinose.
In expanse of wings the perfect insect is from 1 to 1 ½ inch, and was developed in November.
The Antennae ... male (fig. 2) with small tufts underneath, female setaceous.
The Labial palpi (fig. 3) recurving in front to about the top of the eyes; terminal joint thin and pointed, 2nd joint somewhat longer and more robust, basal small, about ¼ the length of the second.
The Legs ... anterior pair small; 2nd pairs (fig. 4) larger, with 3 apical spurs on tibiae; posterior pairs long, with 4 large spurs.
The entire surface of the insect is pearly-white, the anterior wings speckled with minute black dots, and along the costa a yellowish tinge; the posterior wings have a slight pinkish hue.
The moth and larva are depicted with a small limb of Banksia serrata.
Other references
Cryptophasa spilonota.
spilonota Scott, Austral. Lep. 10, pl 3.
Sydney. (Walker, 1866).
Crypt spilonata, Scott.
(Cryptophasa spilonata, Scott, Austr. Lep. 10, pl 3.)
Female 45mm. Head, palpi, antennae, thorax, abdomen, and legs white; anterior tarsi with base of four apical joints dark grey. Forewings oblong, posteriorly dilated, costa gently arched, apex obtuse, hind margin sinuate, hardly oblique, rounded beneath; 2 from 2/3; pale whitish-grey, slightly fuscous-tinged, irrorated with black; traces of a small darker spot in disc at 3/5: cilia whitish. Hindwings with veins 6 and 7 from a point; white; cilia white.
Newcastle and Sydney, New South Wales; two specimens bred in November. Larva residing in a barricaded tunnel in branches of Banksia serrata, carrying in leaves for food, in October. (Meyrick, 1890).
X. spilonata, Scott (Cryptophasa spilonata, Scott, Aust. Lepid., 10, pl. 3; Cryptophaga spilonata, Meyr., Tr. Roy. Soc. S.A., 35, 1889).
Melbourne. (Lower, 1896).
Cryptophaga spilonota, Scott. (Cryptophasa spilonota, Austr. Lep. 10, pl. 3.) Meyrick, 35. Male, 37 mm.; antennal pectinations, ½. Female, 41 mm.
Darra, near Brisbane: bred by Mr. Illidge from larvae tunnelling the stems of Banksia integrifolia. (Turner, 1898).
Diagnosis:
Description:
Head:
Cryptophasa spilonota, K95, Kuranda, head
Thorax:
Cryptophasa spilonota, wing venation
Abdomen:
Cryptophasa spilonota, male genitalia, K95
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Cryptophasa spilonota, aedeagus, K95
Food plants: Larva boring in stem. Larval foodplant: Banksia serrata, B. integrifolia (Proteaceae). (Edwards, 2003).
Flight period: October, December
Distribution: New South Wales, Queensland. Endemic. (Edwards, 2003).
Remarks: The male genitalia suggest that this species is incorrectly placed in Cryptophasa, but may be more likely to be a part of the Illidgea-Phthonerodes group of genera.