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Curved-horn moths (all Gelechioidea except Oecophoridae)
Lecithocera terrigena
Melba, ACT
Identification history
| Lecithocera terrigena | 3 Mar 2021 | ibaird | ||
| Lecithocera terrigena | 3 Mar 2021 | GlennCocking | ||
| Tritymba sp. (genus) | 22 Feb 2021 | donhe | ||
| Tritymba sp. (genus) | 22 Feb 2021 | GlennCocking | ||
| Oecophoridae (family) | 22 Feb 2021 | donhe | ||
| Unidentified | 22 Feb 2021 | kasiaaus |
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6 comments
GlennCocking wrote:
22 Feb 2021
This genus like the Ogmograptis create scribbles in the bark of eucalypts.
kasiaaus wrote:
3 Mar 2021
I'm not sure if this is significant but the antennae on this moth are dark as opposed to very light colour on all the other sightings under Lecithocera terrigena. I remember that I photographed this moth because I saw this difference.
GlennCocking wrote:
3 Mar 2021
Yes, I noticed that and it was a part of the reason for originally suggesting Tritymba. But this morning I saw a light antenna in photo 2, and that was a part of changing my mind. Although the antennae are mostly light in the CNM records, iNAT photos show plenty of dark ones. I put a bunch of L. terrigena antennae under the microscope and it turns out that that each segment has two bands of scales going around the antenna and one of them varies from as light as the other one to being quite dark. In some specimens even the "light" scales are a little darker than the norm. So I think the angle of the photo and perhaps other lighting conditions is the cause of some antennae appearing light and others dark.
I was also puzzled by the apparently short palpi in the specimen compared to, say, your 4365820. But the males have distinctly shorter palpi than the females, and I think the angle of this photo of a male makes them look even shorter. 4365820 is a female.
Another explanation is that there may be another species involved. There are similar undescribed species.
I was also puzzled by the apparently short palpi in the specimen compared to, say, your 4365820. But the males have distinctly shorter palpi than the females, and I think the angle of this photo of a male makes them look even shorter. 4365820 is a female.
Another explanation is that there may be another species involved. There are similar undescribed species.
kasiaaus wrote:
3 Mar 2021
Thanks for the explanation Glenn. I'm still convinced that the antennae on this moth were darker. I saw this moth in proximity of other moths which had light antennae and it was very clear that they were different. It could be a variation or maybe, like you say, a different species.
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