Inconclusive sighting

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	Insufficient or inconclusive evidence	4 Aug 2021	MichaelMulvaney
	Unverified	1 Jan 2020	Christine

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Well, similar to others around the place, but much smaller. The case was around 5mm long, so caterpillar inside must be tiny!

3 comments

donhe wrote:

2 Jan 2020

There are both Psychidae and Tineidae larvae that cover their cases in mineral particles like this, so I do not know what to name it.

Christine wrote:

5 Jan 2020

Hi Don, it is still hanging on the garage wall, but if I scrape it off will I damage it? I assume it is already pupating. The next issue would be, that as the case is so tiny, what emerges (if anything) would be even smaller, and my camera would probably not be able to get a decent image of it.
The one which I have had in a jar for two months, is similar but larger (maybe 1.3cm long), and it moves around eating for several days, then hangs in one spot for a few days, then goes off eating again, so I don't know how long it will do this for, or how I will recognise if it has started to pupate - except i guess it will stay in the one spot for more than a few days ...
But I will keep an eye on this one where it is i guess, and hope I am lucky enough to see something emerge.

donhe wrote:

5 Jan 2020

Scraping it off the wall may damage the case bit, but casemoth larvae are very quick to repair damage. You needed to take it off the wall and put it in an escape-proof container,
It may have already eclosed and you never saw it happen.
Or it may be just changing instar: that might take a week.
Or it could be a flightless female, waiting for a male to visit.
Or it may have died of some disease.
If it has been stationary for more than a week, I would take it down, and carefully cut open the case to find out the situation.
If it is still alive, it will rapidly repair the cut, quite happy that it was not eaten.

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Sighting information

At least 1 Abundance
Christine Recorded by
Collections
Christine Inconclusive

Additional information

Less than 5mm Animal size

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Australian Capital Territory

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