Ogmograptis scribula
Encyclopedia
The Scribbly Gum Moth is a moth
of the Bucculatricidae
family. It is found in the Australian Capital Territory
, New South Wales
and Queensland
.
The wingspan
is about 8 mm. They have narrow wings, long hair scales on the trailing edges of the wings and sombre colours.
Not much is known about their life history, because they are difficult to rear and are
reluctant to come to light. They appear to have a very short flight period. It is thought that the moth lays the egg onto the bark.
They mine the barks of various smooth-barked Eucalyptus species, causing so-called scribbles. This scribble has the form of a zigzag gallery in the surface of the bark. The mine consists of a sinuous, zigzag gallery that widens gradually as the larva grows. When the larva is about half grown, it reverses course and mines back parallel to the old mine. Larvae have been found feeding on Eucalyptus pauciflora
, Eucalyptus rossii
, Eucalyptus haemastoma, Eucalyptus racemosa
and Eucalyptus sclerophylla
. Pupation takes place in grey, ridged cocoons in litter near their host plant.
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 Bucculatricidae
Bucculatricidae
Bucculatricidae or is a family of moths. This small family has representatives in all parts of the world. Some authors place the group as a subfamily of the family Lyonetiidae....
family. It is found in 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...
and Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
.
The wingspan
Wingspan
The wingspan of an airplane or a bird, is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777 has a wingspan of about ; and a Wandering Albatross caught in 1965 had a wingspan of , the official record for a living bird.The term wingspan, more technically extent, is...
is about 8 mm. They have narrow wings, long hair scales on the trailing edges of the wings and sombre colours.
Not much is known about their life history, because they are difficult to rear and are
reluctant to come to light. They appear to have a very short flight period. It is thought that the moth lays the egg onto the bark.
They mine the barks of various smooth-barked Eucalyptus species, causing so-called scribbles. This scribble has the form of a zigzag gallery in the surface of the bark. The mine consists of a sinuous, zigzag gallery that widens gradually as the larva grows. When the larva is about half grown, it reverses course and mines back parallel to the old mine. Larvae have been found feeding on Eucalyptus pauciflora
Eucalyptus pauciflora
The Snow Gum is a small tree or large shrub native to eastern Australia.-Habitat:It is usually found in the subalpine habitats of eastern Australia. Snow Gums also grow in lowland habitats where they can reach heights of up to 20 metres. Lowland Snow Gum is sometimes known as White Sallee, Cabbage...
, Eucalyptus rossii
Eucalyptus rossii
Eucalyptus rossii, commonly known as Inland Scribbly Gum, Western Scribbly Gum, Snappy Gum or White Gum, is a smooth-barked eucalypt of eastern Australia....
, Eucalyptus haemastoma, Eucalyptus racemosa
Eucalyptus racemosa
Eucalyptus racemosa, known as the Scribbly Gum, or Snappy Gum is a tree native to eastern Australia. An alternative name is Narrow Leaved Scribbly Gum, as the leaves are different to the related Eucalyptus haemastoma, a similar and better known tree. Occurring on the poor sandstone soils in mid to...
and Eucalyptus sclerophylla
Eucalyptus sclerophylla
Eucalyptus sclerophylla, known as the Scribbly Gum, is a tree native to eastern Australia. Very similar to the related Scribbly Gum , a better known tree. The best way of distinguishing the species is the smaller hemispherical to pear shaped gumnuts of Eucalyptus sclerophylla, being 0.6 cm by...
. Pupation takes place in grey, ridged cocoons in litter near their host plant.