''Cryptophasa balteata'' is a

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 ...

in the family

Xyloryctidae Xyloryctidae is a family of moths contained within the superfamily Gelechioidea described by Edward Meyrick in 1890. Most genera are found in the Indo-Australian region. While many of these moths are tiny, some members of the family grow to a wing ...

. It was described by Francis Walker in 1866. It is found in

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 ...

, where it has been recorded from

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...

and

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which in ...

. The

wingspan The wingspan (or just span) of a bird or an airplane is the distance from one wingtip to the opposite wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777–200 has a wingspan of , and a wandering albatross (''Diomedea exulans'') caught in 1965 had a wingsp ...

is 32–34 mm for males and 40–62 mm for females. The forewings of the males are dark ochreous brown, with a dark dot in the disc at one-third and a second, sometimes double on the fold below the middle, and two placed transversely in the disc at three-fifths, the lower somewhat anterior. Three black dots are found on the apical one-third of the costa, sometimes obsolete. There is a narrow black line along the hindmargin, sometimes interrupted. The hindwings are dark fuscous, blackish towards the base. Females have pale ochreous-brown forewings, along the costa inclining to whitish. The discal dots are as in males, and there is a row of black dots along the hindmargin and apical one-fifth of the costa, sometimes inclining to be obsolete. The hindwings of the females are fuscous at the base, gradually passing into whitish over the apical third of the disc, on which the veins are outlined in fuscous. The larvae feed on ''

Eucalyptus eugenioides ''Eucalyptus eugenioides'', commonly known as the thin-leaved stringybark or white stringybark, is a species of tree endemic to eastern Australia. It is a small to medium-sized tree with rough stringy bark, lance-shaped to curved adult leaves, Fl ...

'', ''

Eucalyptus microcorys ''Eucalyptus microcorys'', commonly known as tallowwood, is a species of medium to tall tree that is endemic to eastern Australia. It has rough, fibrous or string bark on the trunk and branches, lance-shaped to egg-shaped adult leaves, flower bud ...

'', ''

Eucalyptus tereticornis ''Eucalyptus tereticornis'', commonly known as forest red gum, blue gum or red irongum, is a species of tree that is native to eastern Australia and southern New Guinea. It has smooth bark, lance-shaped to curved adult leaves, flower buds in grou ...

'', ''

Eucalyptus saligna ''Eucalyptus saligna'', commonly known as the Sydney blue gum or blue gum, is a species of medium-sized to tall tree that is Endemism, endemic to eastern Australia. It has rough, flaky bark near the base of the trunk, smooth bark above, lance-s ...

'' and ''

Eucalyptus viminalis ''Eucalyptus viminalis'', commonly known as the manna gum, white gum or ribbon gum, is a species of small to very tall tree that is endemic to south-eastern Australia. It has smooth bark, sometimes with rough bark near the base, lance-shaped to c ...

''. They bore in the stem of their host plant, tying cut leaves to the bore entrance.Xyloryctine Moths of Australia

References

Cryptophasa Moths described in 1866 {{Xyloryctidae-stub