''Plectophila pyrgodes'' 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

Alfred Jefferis Turner Alfred Jefferis Turner (3 October 1861 in Guangzhou, Canton – 29 December 1947 in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia) was a pediatrician and amateur entomologist. He was the son of missionary Frederick Storrs-Turner. He introduced the use of diph ...

in 1898. 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 ...

and

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 ...

. 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 about 15 mm for males and 18 mm for females. The forewings are white with ochreous-fuscous markings, and the costal edge fuscous at the extreme base. There is a broad streak along the inner margin from one-fourth to the anal angle. From this arises a broad transverse bar crossing the disc at one-third, ceasing abruptly at one-third breadth of the wing from the costa. There is a very broad fascia from the costa beyond the middle to the anal angle, both margins irregularly dentate. A dark-fuscous longitudinal streak is found at the apex, attenuated anteriorly. Between this and the costa is an ochreous-brown area with two white dots on the costa. The hindmarginal part of the disc is irrorated with fuscous. The hindwings are dark-grey.Xyloryctine Moths of Australia

References

Plectophila Moths described in 1898 {{Xyloryctidae-stub