''Tasmantrix thula'' 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 ...

of the family

Micropterigidae Micropterigoidea is the superfamily of "mandibulate archaic moths", all placed in the single family Micropterigidae, containing currently about twenty living genera. They are considered the most primitive extant lineage of lepidoptera (Kristense ...

. It is known from eastern

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 is known from northern

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_ ...

, from

Devils Thumb Devils Thumb, or Taalkhunaxhkʼu Shaa in Tlingit language, Tlingit, is a mountain in the Stikine Icecap region of the Alaska–British Columbia border, near Petersburg, Alaska, Petersburg. It is named for its projected thumb-like appearance. Its ...

and

Mossman Gorge Mossman Gorge is a rural locality in the Shire of Douglas, Queensland, Australia. In the , Mossman Gorge had a population of 246 people. The locality takes its name from the valley Mossman Gorge created by the Mossman River through the Daintree ...

in the north to Mission Beach and from Herberton State Forest to Mission beach.Micropterigidae (Lepidoptera) of the Southwestern Pacific: a revision with the establishment of five new genera from Australia, New Caledonia and New Zealand
/ref> The forewing length is 3.2 mm for males and 3.8 mm for females. The forewing ground colour is dark blackish-brown with strong purple iridescence. There are three shining white fasciae and a subtle pattern of silvery-white scale patterns in the apical third. The first is a short basal triangular streak to about one eighth, tapering from full wing width to an acute point behind the costa, separated from the costal margin by a single line of black scales. The second is a broad transverse band of constant width, at about one third and finally a small triangular area of white scales in the apex. There are narrow patches of white scales between the veins around the margin of the wing in the apical third, and a radiating pattern of fine, single-scale lines along all veins in the apical third. The fringes are black with grey tips, especially around the apex. The hindwing is uniformly dark-grey scaled with weak bronzy sheen. The fringes are dark grey.

Etymology

The species name is derived from the Greek geographic location ''thule'' which refers to a northern land first described by

Pytheas Pytheas of Massalia (; Ancient Greek: Πυθέας ὁ Μασσαλιώτης ''Pythéas ho Massaliōtēs''; Latin: ''Pytheas Massiliensis''; born 350 BC, 320–306 BC) was a Greeks, Greek List of Graeco-Roman geographers, geographer, explor ...

and is to signify the geographic location of this species within the '' calliplaca''-group of species.

References

Micropterigidae Moths described in 2010 {{Micropterigidae-stub