Hookwing Footman Termessa discrepans (Walker, 1865)

Introduction

One of two species of Termessa with falcate (hooked) wingtips, T. discrepans is much more common in collections than T. conographa.

Identification

The shape of the forewing is distinctive, with a falcate (hooked) wing tip. The broad black fascia in the forewing of T. discrepans reach the front margin of the wing (cf. T. conographa)

DISCLAIMER: The identifications presented on these pages should be taken as indicative only. As with many groups of Australian insects there has been no formal revision of the Lithosiinae in recent years, and there are many undescribed species present in collections. Many species are superficially similar, and require a specialist to separate them.

Habitat

Forested areas including open woodland

Distribution

Coastal NSW and SE Queensland, Bairnsdale, Gembrook, Red Hill (VIC, Peter Marriott)

Seasonality

November to February

Feeding and diet

Larvae probably feed on lichens

Further reading

The majority of images of Lithosiinae presented on these pages were taken from specimens housed in the Australian National Insect Collection (ANIC) (CSIRO, Canberra). I would like to thank the staff and researchers at ANIC for their generous assistance in providing me access to this collection, and I acknowledge the depth of effort and the investment of staff time that has gone into building and curating this splendid resource. In particular, I would like to thank Ted Edwards and Marianne Horak for their assistance.