Hookwing Footman Termessa discrepans (Walker, 1865)
Lichen moth
Click to enlarge image
© Australian Museum
Fast Facts
-
Classification
- Genus
- Termessa
- Species
- discrepans
- Subfamily
- Lithosiinae
- Family
- Arctiidae
- Super Family
- Noctuoidea
- Order
- Lepidoptera
- Class
- Insecta
- Phylum
- Arthropoda
- Kingdom
- Animalia
-
- Life history mode
- terrestrial, volant
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.
