Hollow Twig Wingia Moth
Case, Sealed End
Hollow Twig Wingia Moth
Ventral
| Hollow Twig Wingia Moth Case, Sealed End | | Hollow Twig Wingia Moth Ventral | | ||
 | Class: | Animals (Animalia) - Jointed Legs (Arthropoda) - Insects (Insecta) | |||
| Order: | Butterflies & Moths (Lepidoptera) | ||||
| Family: | Wingia Moth (:Gelechioidea Oecophoridae Wingia) iNaturalist Observation | ||||
| Species: | Hollow Twig Wingia Moth (Hemibela hemicalypta) | ||||
| This Photo: | Case, After emerging | ||||
Thank you Ken Harris for identifying and Prof Victor W Fazio III† for confirming the id of this species for us General Species Information: Found in the Adelaide Hills and possibly elsewhere Using a similar strategy to case moths, the caterpillars of this genera hollow out a twig and carry it around. As you can see in the photo's they then pupate inside it. The twig is much smaller than the moth that emerges from it. We found a hollow twig on a small grass tip (thought it was an insect) and realised it was a case glued to the grass, with the grass growing through it. A few days later we found another, thinking it was a case moth, with the end stuck to our poly rainwater tank. We put them in a container and couldn't believe what came out when they emerged. Body ~7mm, wingspan ~17mm. The twigs are 11-12mm long, ~2mm outside diam & ~1.5mm inside diameter. | |||||
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