List of moths of Australia (Cossidae) facts for kids

This article is all about the amazing world of Cossidae moths found in Australia! These moths belong to a special group called a family. Think of a family like a big group of relatives who share many things in common. This list helps us learn about all the different kinds of Cossidae moths that call Australia home. It's also part of a bigger list of all the moths in Australia.

Cossidae Moths: The Wood Borers

What are Cossidae Moths?

Cossidae moths are often called wood moths or carpenter moths. That's because their caterpillars are super good at boring into wood! They spend most of their lives inside trees or plants. These moths are found all over the world, but Australia has many unique species.

Most Cossidae moths are quite large. They often have strong, thick bodies and wings that are dull in color. Their colors usually help them blend in with tree bark. This is a great way to hide from predators!

Life Cycle of a Wood Moth

The life of a Cossidae moth starts as an egg. The female moth lays her eggs on or near a tree. Once the eggs hatch, tiny caterpillars emerge. These caterpillars are the "wood borers."

They tunnel deep into the wood of trees or shrubs. They eat the wood as they grow. This stage can last for a very long time, sometimes several years! When a caterpillar is ready, it changes into a pupa. This is like a resting stage. Finally, the adult moth comes out of the pupa. The adult moths usually live for only a short time. Their main job is to find a mate and lay eggs.

How Scientists Group Moths

Scientists group living things into different levels. A family is a large group. Inside families, there are smaller groups called subfamilies. These subfamilies share even more features. This helps scientists organize and understand all the different species.

In the Cossidae family, there are several subfamilies. We will look at two main ones found in Australia: Cossinae and Zeuzerinae.

Cossinae

The Cossinae subfamily includes many interesting Australian moths. Here are some of the species found in this group:

• Cossodes lyonetii White, 1841
• Culama alpina Kallies & D.J. Hilton, 2012
• Culama anthracica Kallies & D.J. Hilton, 2012
• Culama australis Walker, 1856
• Culama crepera Turner, 1939
• Culama dasythrix Turner, 1945
• Culama glauca Kallies & D.J. Hilton, 2012
• Culama suffusca Kallies & D.J. Hilton, 2012
• Macrocyttara expressa (T.P. Lucas, 1902)
• Macrocyttara pamphaea Turner, 1945
• Zyganisus acalanthis Kallies & D.J. Hilton, 2012
• Zyganisus caliginosus (Walker, 1856)
• Zyganisus cadigalorum Kallies & D.J. Hilton, 2012
• Zyganisus fulvicollis (Gaede, 1933)
• Zyganisus propedia Kallies & D.J. Hilton, 2012

Zeuzerinae

The Zeuzerinae subfamily is another large group of Cossidae moths in Australia. Many of these moths are also known for their wood-boring caterpillars. Here is a list of species in this subfamily:

• Brephomorpha cineraria (Turner, 1945)
• Catoxophylla cyanauges Turner, 1945
• Duomitus ceramica (Walker, 1865)
• Endoxyla acontucha (Turner, 1903)
• Endoxyla affinis (Rothschild, 1896)
• Endoxyla amphiplecta (Turner, 1932)
• Endoxyla angasii R. Felder, 1874
• Endoxyla biarpiti (Tindale, 1953)
• Endoxyla bipustulatus (Walker, 1865)
• Endoxyla cinereus (Tepper, 1890)
• Endoxyla columbina T.P. Lucas, 1898
• Endoxyla coscinopa (Lower, 1901)
• Endoxyla coscinophanes (Turner, 1945)
• Endoxyla coscinota (Turner, 1903)
• Endoxyla decoratus (Swinhoe, 1892)
• Endoxyla dictyoschema (Turner, 1915)
• Endoxyla didymoplaca (Turner, 1945)
• Endoxyla duponchelii (Newman, 1856)
• Endoxyla edwardsorum (Tepper, 1891)
• Endoxyla eluta (Rothschild, 1903)
• Endoxyla encalypti Herrich-Schäffer, 1854
• Endoxyla episticha (Turner, 1945)
• Endoxyla eremonoma (Turner, 1906)
• Endoxyla eumitra (Turner, 1926)
• Endoxyla euplecta (Turner, 1945)
• Endoxyla euryphaea (Turner, 1945)
• Endoxyla grisea (Gaede, 1933)
• Endoxyla houlberti (Oberthür, 1916)
• Endoxyla interlucens T.P. Lucas, 1898
• Endoxyla leucomochla (Turner, 1915)
• Endoxyla lichenea (Rothschild, 1896)
• Endoxyla lituratus (Donovan, 1805)
• Endoxyla mackeri (Oberthür, 1916)
• Endoxyla macleayi Froggatt, 1894
• Endoxyla magnifica (Rothschild, 1896)
• Endoxyla magniguttata (Gaede, 1933)
• Endoxyla methychroa (Turner, 1911)
• Endoxyla minutiscripta T.P. Lucas, 1898
• Endoxyla nephocosma (Turner, 1902)
• Endoxyla neuroxantha (Lower, 1900)
• Endoxyla nubila (Turner, 1945)
• Endoxyla opposita (Walker, 1865)
• Endoxyla perigypsa (Lower, 1915)
• Endoxyla phaeocosma (Turner, 1911)
• Endoxyla polyplecta (Turner, 1932)
• Endoxyla polyploca (Turner, 1911)
• Endoxyla pulchra (Rothschild, 1896)
• Endoxyla punctifimbria (Walker, 1865)
• Endoxyla reticulosa (Turner, 1945)
• Endoxyla secta T.P. Lucas, 1898
• Endoxyla sordida (Rothschild, 1896)
• Endoxyla stenoptila (Turner, 1911)
• Endoxyla tanyctena (Turner, 1945)
• Endoxyla tenebrifer (Walker, 1865)
• Endoxyla tigrinus (Herrich-Schäffer, 1853)
• Endoxyla turneri (Roepke, 1955)
• Endoxyla vittata (Walker, 1856)
• Endoxyla zophoplecta (Turner, 1902)
• Endoxyla zophospila (Turner, 1945)
• Skeletophyllon tempestua (T.P. Lucas, 1898)
• Sympycnodes adrienneae Kallies & D.J. Hilton, 2012
• Sympycnodes arachnophora (Turner, 1945)
• Sympycnodes digitata Kallies & D.J. Hilton, 2012
• Sympycnodes dunnorum Kallies & D.J. Hilton, 2012
• Sympycnodes epicycla (Turner, 1945)
• Sympycnodes interstincta Kallies & D.J. Hilton, 2012
• Sympycnodes rhaptodes Turner, 1942
• Sympycnodes salterra Kallies & D.J. Hilton, 2012
• Sympycnodes tripartita (T.P. Lucas, 1892)
• Sympycnodes uptoni Kallies & D.J. Hilton, 2012
• Trismelasmos ardzhuna Yakovlev, 2011
• Trismelasmos donovani (Rothschild, 1897)
• Trismelasmos tectorius (Swinhoe, 1901)
• Xyleutes hyphinoe (Cramer, 1777)
• Xyleutes persona (Le Guillou, 1841)
• Orientozeuzera aeglospila (Turner, 1915)
• Orientozeuzera quieta (Turner, 1932)

Sometimes, scientists find a species but are not yet sure which exact genus (a smaller group within a subfamily) it belongs to. This moth is part of the Zeuzerinae subfamily, but its specific genus is still being studied. Here is its original name:

• Eudoxyla cineraria Illidge, 1898

Unplaced to Subfamily

These moths are known to be part of the Cossidae family. However, scientists are still working to figure out which subfamily they fit into best. Research is always ongoing in the world of biology!

• Archaeoses magicosema (Meyrick, 1936)
• Archaeoses pentasema (Lower, 1915)
• Archaeoses polygrapha (Lower, 1893)
• Brevicyttara cyclospila (Turner, 1945)
• Charmoses dumigani Turner, 1932
• Eusthenica treicleiota (Bethune-Baker, 1911)
• Idioses littleri Turner, 1927
• Ptilomacra senex Walker, 1855