Cebysa leucotelus
Encyclopedia
The Australian Bagmoth (Cebysa leucotelus) is a moth
of the Psychidae family. It is found in New Zealand
and the southern half of Australia
(Tasmania
, Victoria
and Western Australia
).
The adult female moth has black wings with yellow wingtips and patches, but they do not expand properly, so she is not able to fly. The male has a similar pattern and colouring, but has no iridescence. His wings are fully developed and adult males can fly normally.
The larvae feed on lichen.
Moth
A moth is an insect closely related to the butterfly, both being of the order Lepidoptera. Moths form the majority of this order; there are thought to be 150,000 to 250,000 different species of moth , with thousands of species yet to be described...
of the Psychidae family. It is found in New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
and the southern half of Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
(Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
, Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
and Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
).
The adult female moth has black wings with yellow wingtips and patches, but they do not expand properly, so she is not able to fly. The male has a similar pattern and colouring, but has no iridescence. His wings are fully developed and adult males can fly normally.
The larvae feed on lichen.