List of moths of Australia (Psychidae) facts for kids
Bagworm moths are a special type of moth found all over the world, including right here in Australia. They belong to a scientific family called Psychidae. This article is like a guide to the different kinds of bagworm moths that live in Australia. It's also part of a bigger list of all the moths found in Australia.
Contents
What are Bagworm Moths?
Bagworm moths get their name from the amazing little "bags" or cases their caterpillars build. These cases are made from silk, twigs, leaves, and other bits of nature. The caterpillars live inside these cases, carrying them around like tiny homes. They use their cases for protection from predators and bad weather.
Life Cycle of Bagworm Moths
The life cycle of a bagworm moth starts with an egg. When the egg hatches, a tiny caterpillar emerges. This caterpillar immediately begins to build its protective case. As the caterpillar grows, it adds more material to its case, making it bigger.
When it's time to change into a moth, the caterpillar seals itself inside its case. This is where it transforms into a pupa, like a butterfly in a chrysalis. After some time, the adult moth comes out. Male moths usually have wings and can fly, but female moths often stay inside their cases and don't have wings. They wait for a male to find them.
Where do Australian Bagworm Moths Live?
Australian bagworm moths can be found in many different habitats. They live in forests, woodlands, and even gardens. Their cases help them blend in with their surroundings, making them hard to spot. Each species might prefer certain types of plants for building their cases.
Types of Australian Bagworm Moths
Australia is home to many different kinds of bagworm moths. Scientists have given each type a special name. Below is a list of some of the known Australian bagworm moth species. Each name helps scientists keep track of these unique insects.
- Archaeoneura amictopis (Turner, 1923)
- Ardiosteres dryophracta Meyrick, 1917
- Ardiosteres eumelana Turner, 1917
- Ardiosteres lacerata Meyrick, 1917
- Ardiosteres moretonella (Walker, 1866)
- Ardiosteres pectinata Meyrick, 1917
- Ardiosteres sporocosma Turner, 1917
- Ardiosteres tetrazona Meyrick, 1920
- Ardiosteres tortricitella (Walker, 1866)
- Ardiosteres trifasciana (Walker, 1863)
- Ardiosteres velutinana (Walker, 1863)
- Bathromelas hyaloscopa (Meyrick & Lower, 1907)
- Cebysa leucotelus Walker, 1854
- Clania ignobilis (Walker, 1869)
- Clania lewinii (Westwood, 1855)
- Colpotorna lasiopa Meyrick, 1920
- Conoeca guildingi Scott, 1864
- Dappula tertius (Templeton, 1847)
- Elinostola agriodes Meyrick, 1921
- Elinostola hyalina Turner, 1947
- Elinostola hypomela Meyrick & Lower, 1907
- Elinostola panagria Meyrick, 1921
- Gyrophylla eumetra Turner, 1935
- Hyalarcta huebneri (Westwood, 1855)
- Hyalarcta nigrescens (Doubleday, 1845)
- Hyaloptila melanosoma Turner, 1947
- Iphierga chrysopa Turner, 1917
- Iphierga chrysophaes Turner, 1917
- Iphierga crypsilopha Lower, 1903
- Iphierga dispersa Meyrick, 1917
- Iphierga euphragma Meyrick, 1893
- Iphierga lysiphracta Meyrick, 1917
- Iphierga macarista Turner, 1917
- Iphierga magnifica (Meyrick, 1893)
- Iphierga melichrysa Lower, 1902
- Iphierga pentulias Meyrick, 1893
- Iphierga polyzona Lower, 1903
- Iphierga stasiodes Meyrick, 1893
- Lepidoscia acropolia (Turner, 1923)
- Lepidoscia adelopis (Meyrick, 1893)
- Lepidoscia amphiscia Meyrick, 1893
- Lepidoscia annosella (Walker, 1869)
- Lepidoscia apochroa (Meyrick, 1893)
- Lepidoscia arctiella (Walker, 1860)
- Lepidoscia arctodes (Meyrick, 1920)
- Lepidoscia bancrofti (T.P. Lucas, 1890)
- Lepidoscia barysema Lower, 1903
- Lepidoscia basiferana (Walker, 1863)
- Lepidoscia callista (Lower, 1903)
- Lepidoscia campylota (Lower, 1903)
- Lepidoscia carlotta (Meyrick, 1893)
- Lepidoscia cataphracta (Meyrick, 1893)
- Lepidoscia characota (Meyrick, 1893)
- Lepidoscia charitodes (Meyrick, 1893)
- Lepidoscia chloropetala Meyrick, 1893
- Lepidoscia chrysastra Turner, 1923
- Lepidoscia chrysopetala (Meyrick, 1893)
- Lepidoscia chrysura (Meyrick, 1893)
- Lepidoscia cirrhosticha (Turner, 1923)
- Lepidoscia commatica (Turner, 1933)
- Lepidoscia comochroa Meyrick, 1893
- Lepidoscia confluens (Turner, 1939)
- Lepidoscia conioptila (Turner, 1923)
- Lepidoscia crepuscularis (Meyrick, 1893)
- Lepidoscia desmophthora Meyrick, 1893
- Lepidoscia dicranota (Turner, 1923)
- Lepidoscia educta (Meyrick, 1920)
- Lepidoscia epichrysa (Lower, 1903)
- Lepidoscia epitricha (Lower, 1903)
- Lepidoscia euctena (Turner, 1927)
- Lepidoscia euryptera (Meyrick, 1893)
- Lepidoscia eurystola Lower, 1903
- Lepidoscia euscia (Lower, 1903)
- Lepidoscia euthrygramma (Turner, 1923)
- Lepidoscia gastromela (Lower, 1903)
- Lepidoscia glabrella (Walker, 1863)
- Lepidoscia hamalitha (Meyrick, 1893)
- Lepidoscia heliochares (Meyrick, 1893)
- Lepidoscia heliozona (Meyrick, 1893)
- Lepidoscia hemicalyptra (Lower, 1903)
- Lepidoscia herbicola Meyrick, 1921
- Lepidoscia holozona (Lower, 1903)
- Lepidoscia hyalistis (Lower, 1903)
- Lepidoscia irrorea (R. Felder & Rogenhofer, 1875)
- Lepidoscia ischnomorpha (Turner, 1923)
- Lepidoscia lainodes Meyrick, 1921
- Lepidoscia lasiocola (Meyrick, 1893)
- Lepidoscia lasiomicra (Lower, 1903)
- Lepidoscia lechriotypa (Turner, 1923)
- Lepidoscia lenceres (Turner, 1900)
- Lepidoscia leucochroa (Turner, 1923)
- Lepidoscia ligatus (Walker, 1865)
- Lepidoscia lignatrix (Meyrick, 1921)
- Lepidoscia maculifera (Lower, 1916)
- Lepidoscia magnella (Walker, 1863)
- Lepidoscia melanarthra (Meyrick, 1893)
- Lepidoscia melanogramma Lower, 1903
- Lepidoscia melanospora (Turner, 1923)
- Lepidoscia melitora Meyrick, 1893
- Lepidoscia microsticha Meyrick, 1893
- Lepidoscia microzona (Lower, 1903)
- Lepidoscia monosticha Turner, 1923
- Lepidoscia monozona (Meyrick, 1893)
- Lepidoscia muricolor Turner, 1939
- Lepidoscia myriospila (Turner, 1923)
- Lepidoscia nemorivaga (Turner, 1916)
- Lepidoscia nephelodes (Meyrick, 1893)
- Lepidoscia niphospila (Turner, 1923)
- Lepidoscia palleuca Meyrick, 1893
- Lepidoscia pelochroa (Meyrick, 1893)
- Lepidoscia phaeostola (Turner, 1923)
- Lepidoscia phaulodes (Meyrick, 1893)
- Lepidoscia photidias (Lower, 1903)
- Lepidoscia placoxantha Lower, 1903
- Lepidoscia polychrysa Lower, 1903
- Lepidoscia polymeres (Turner, 1900)
- Lepidoscia polystona (Turner, 1914)
- Lepidoscia protorna (Meyrick, 1893)
- Lepidoscia punctiferella (Walker, 1863)
- Lepidoscia pygmaea (Meyrick, 1893)
- Lepidoscia raricoma Meyrick, 1893
- Lepidoscia reticulata (Meyrick, 1893)
- Lepidoscia retinochra (Lower, 1903)
- Lepidoscia saxosa (Meyrick, 1893)
- Lepidoscia sciodesma Meyrick, 1893
- Lepidoscia scotinopis (Meyrick, 1897)
- Lepidoscia semiota (Lower, 1903)
- Lepidoscia sinuosa (Turner, 1923)
- Lepidoscia sparsa (Meyrick, 1921)
- Lepidoscia stellaris (Meyrick, 1893)
- Lepidoscia stenomochla (Turner, 1926)
- Lepidoscia stictoptera (Lower, 1920)
- Lepidoscia strepsidoma (Meyrick, 1920)
- Lepidoscia strigulata Meyrick, 1893
- Lepidoscia tetramochla (Turner, 1923)
- Lepidoscia tetraphragma Meyrick, 1921
- Lepidoscia toxoteuches (Turner, 1927)
- Lepidoscia trileuca Lower, 1903
- Lepidoscia trizona (Lower, 1903)
- Lepidoscia tyrobathra Meyrick, 1893
- Lepidoscia zonarcha (Meyrick, 1893)
- Lomera boisduvalii (Westwood, 1855)
- Metura elongatus (Saunders, 1847)
- Metura oceanica Viette, 1963
- Napecoetes belogramma (Turner, 1916)
- Napecoetes chrysomitra (Turner, 1933)
- Napecoetes crossospila Turner, 1913
- Napecoetes scoteina (Turner, 1900)
- Oecobia frauenfeldi Scott, 1864
- Paracharactis cautopsis Meyrick & Lower, 1907
- Paracharactis delocephala Meyrick & Lower, 1907
- Paracharactis erionota (Lower, 1901)
- Paracharactis leeuweni (Heylaerts, 1885)
- Phasmyalea pellucida Turner, 1947
- Piestoceros conjunctella (Walker, 1863)
- Plutorectella abdominalis (Strand, 1924)
- Psychanisa baliodes (Meyrick, 1893)
- Psychanisa guttata Walker, 1855
- Sentica felderi (Scott, 1864)
- Sentica oppositella Walker, 1863
- Trigonocyttara clandestina Turner, 1945
Some bagworm moth species have been identified but haven't been fully placed into a specific group (genus) yet. Here are their original names:
- Oiketicus aristocosma Lower, 1908
- Oeceticus bicolor T.P. Lucas, 1894
- Plutorectis caespitosae Oke, 1948
- Plutorectis capnaea Turner, 1947
- Plutorectis crocobathra Turner, 1947
- Oiketicus dewitzi Heylaerts, 1885
- Plutorectis dysmorpha Turner, 1947
- Oeceticus felinus T.P. Lucas, 1900
- Plutorectis fulva Turner, 1947
- Chalia grisea Heylaerts, 1885
- Oiketecis gymnophasa Lower, 1900
- Clania hemitricha Meyrick & Lower, 1907
- Hyaloptila hyalosoma Turner, 1947
- Chalia lurida Heylaerts, 1885
- Plutorectis melanodes Meyrick & Lower, 1907
- Plutorectis mjobergi Aurivillius, 1920
- Mesopherna niphopasta Turner, 1923
- Plutorectis pantosemna Turner, 1931
- Plutorectis paura Turner, 1947
- Plutorectis pelloceros Turner, 1932
- Clania persimilis Turner, 1947
- Clania photidias Meyrick & Lower, 1907
- Clania sciogramma Turner, 1914
- Plutorectis thermacula Lower, 1908
- Oiketicus walkeriana Betrem, 1951
- Plutorectis xanthochrysa Meyrick & Lower, 1907
- Plutorectis zophopepla Meyrick & Lower, 1907
