''Lichenaula tuberculata'' 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 ...
of 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 is endemic to
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 ...
, more specifically the
Australian Capital Territory
The Australian Capital Territory (ACT), known as the Federal Capital Territory until 1938, is an internal States and territories of Australia, territory of Australia. Canberra, the capital city of Australia, is situated within the territory, an ...
and
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 ...
.
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 19–27 mm. The forewings are ashy-grey, with scattered whitish scales and the veins partially marked with slender blackish lines, most distinctly in the disc and towards the hindmargin, elsewhere hardly perceptibly. The white scales tend to form streaks in the disc along these lines, and sometimes one or two small indistinct spots before the middle of the disc. There are two black dots transversely placed in the disc at two-thirds, the lower rather anterior, connected by a white posteriorly blackish-margined mark, followed by a cloudy roundish brownish-ochreous suffusion. Some blackish scales form an indistinct subapical suffusion. The hindwings are fuscous, more whitish-fuscous and ochreous-tinged anteriorly, the hindmargin darker.
The larvae feed on ''
Crowea saligna
''Crowea saligna'', commonly known as willow-leaved crowea, is a plant in the rue family, Rutaceae and is endemic to eastern New South Wales in Australia. It is a small shrub with attractive, pink, star-shaped flowers and is commonly cultivated. ...
''. They bore in the stem of their host plant, tying cut leaves with silk to the bore entrance.
Xyloryctine Moths of Australia
References
Lichenaula
Moths described in 1890
{{Xyloryctidae-stub