Leistomorpha brontoscopa
Encyclopedia
Leistomorpha brontoscopa is a moth
of the Oecophoridae
family. It is known from the Australian Capital Territory
, New South Wales
, Tasmania
and Victoria
.
The larvae feed on the dead leaves of Eucalyptus
species, including Eucalyptus bicostata
and Eucalyptus bridgesiana
. They can be found in dead leaf litter.
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 Oecophoridae
Oecophoridae
Oecophoridae is a family of small moths in the superfamily Gelechioidea. The phylogeny and systematics of gelechoid moths are still not fully resolved, and the circumscription of the Oecophoridae is strongly affected by this....
family. It is known from the Australian Capital Territory
Australian Capital Territory
The Australian Capital Territory, often abbreviated ACT, is the capital territory of the Commonwealth of Australia and is the smallest self-governing internal territory...
, New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, 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...
and 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....
.
The larvae feed on the dead leaves of Eucalyptus
Eucalyptus
Eucalyptus is a diverse genus of flowering trees in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. Members of the genus dominate the tree flora of Australia...
species, including Eucalyptus bicostata
Eucalyptus bicostata
Eucalyptus bicostata, commonly known as Southern Blue Gum or Eurabbie, is a Eucalypt species native to Victoria and eastern New South Wales, Australia. It is called also Blue Gum and Victorian Blue Gum. It grows in wet forests on fertile soils in sheltered areas in ranges away from the coast.It is...
and Eucalyptus bridgesiana
Eucalyptus bridgesiana
The Apple Box is a medium to large sized tree of the genus Eucalyptus. It occurs in south eastern Australia, typically in grassy woodland and near watercourses around the lower slopes of the Great Dividing Range....
. They can be found in dead leaf litter.