''Zaphanaula hemileuca'' 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 ...

, and the only

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

in the genus ''Zaphanaula''. 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 1896. 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

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 15–20 mm. The forewings are snow-white with a broad fuscous streak from the base along the costa to one-third, which then proceeds a fuscous fascia, slightly outwardly oblique, to the inner margin before the middle, its anterior edge sharply defined, the posterior edge suffused. There is a darker dot on the fold on the posterior edge of this fascia and a broad fuscous fascia from the costa near the apex, narrowing abruptly to a point at the anal angle. Between the two fasciae are some obscure fuscous markings in the costal portion of the disc and there is a fuscous spot on the hindmargin below the middle. The hindwings are grey, with the basal half whitish-ochreous. The

larva A larva (; : larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into their next life stage. Animals with indirect development such as insects, some arachnids, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase ...

e feed on ''

Acacia aulacocarpa ''Acacia aulacocarpa'', commonly known as Papua New Guinea brown wattle, New Guinea wattle, golden-flowered salwood or lancewood, is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is native to New Guinea, Queensland and New South Wales. ...

''.Xyloryctine Moths of Australia

References

Xyloryctidae Monotypic moth genera Xyloryctidae genera Taxa named by Edward Meyrick {{Xyloryctidae-stub