''Arotrophora arcuatalis'', commonly known as banksia boring moth or rarely banksia moth, is a species of

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

n tortrid

moth Moths are a group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not Butterfly, butterflies. They were previously classified as suborder Heterocera, but the group is Paraphyly, paraphyletic with respect to butterflies (s ...

best known as a pest of ''

Banksia ''Banksia'' is a genus of around 170 species of flowering plants in the family Proteaceae. These Australian wildflowers and popular garden plants are easily recognised by their characteristic flower spikes, and woody fruiting "cones" and head ...

''. First described by Francis Walker in 1865, it is the

type species In International_Code_of_Zoological_Nomenclature, zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the spe ...

for ''

Arotrophora ''Arotrophora'' is a genus of tortrix moth. They occur in Australia, where they are strongly associated with the plant family Proteaceae. All of the known Australian larvae bore in ''Banksia'' flower spikes. The genus was recently discovered from ...

''. It occurs throughout coastal and sub-coastal areas of southern Australia. Adults are grey with brown and white markings. The moth lays its eggs on the surface of the flower spikes of ''Banksia'' while in early bud, and the larvae tunnel into the axis of the spike, boring from follicle to follicle to consume the seeds. They infest a wide range of ''Banksia'' species, in some species substantially reducing the seed set. In the cut flower industry, their tunnelling affects the cosmetic qualities of flower spikes, rendering them unsaleable. As a result, there has been significant research into control of the moth, including identification of its

pheromones A pheromone () is a secreted or excreted chemical factor that triggers a social response in members of the same species. Pheromones are chemicals capable of acting like hormones outside the body of the secreting individual, to affect the behavi ...

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