''Cryptophasa balteata'' is a

moth Moths are a paraphyletic group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not butterflies, with moths making up the vast majority of the order. There are thought to be approximately 160,000 species of moth, many of w ...

in the family Xyloryctidae. It was described by Francis Walker in 1866. It is found in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

, where it has been recorded from

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

and

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

. The

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

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 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'' and '' Eucalyptus viminalis''. 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