Kingdom Animalia Family Xyloryctidae Scientific name Xylorycta luteotactella Rank Species | Class Insecta Genus Xylorycta Phylum Arthropoda Order Butterflies and moths | |
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Xylorycta luteotactella, commonly known as the macadamia twig girdler, is a moth of the Xyloryctidae family. It is found in Australia. The caterpillars cause economic damage to waratah and macadamia crops, the former by disfiguring the developing flowerheads.
Native to much of eastern Australia, it was first described by English entomologist Francis Walker in 1864 as Cryptolechia cognatella.
The wingspan is 17-26 mm. The forewings are shining snow-white with the costal edge narrowly orange, sometimes slenderly blackish towards the base. The hindwings are grey-whitish, posteriorly suffused with light grey.
References
Xylorycta luteotactella Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA