Broad-banded Footman Termessa xanthomelas (Lower, 1892)
Lichen moth
Click to enlarge image
© Australian Museum
Fast Facts
-
Classification
- Genus
- Termessa
- Species
- xanthomelas
- Subfamily
- Lithosiinae
- Family
- Arctiidae
- Super Family
- Noctuoidea
- Order
- Lepidoptera
- Class
- Insecta
- Phylum
- Arthropoda
- Kingdom
- Animalia
-
- Life history mode
- terrestrial, volant
Introduction
T. xanthomelas is similar to the larger and more commonly collected T. shepherdi.
Identification
Similar to T. shepherdi, but can be distinguished by the orange ground colour (in males) and the incomplete black marking at the base of the forewing (both sexes).
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.
Distribution
From Milmerran (QLD) south to Victoria and South Australia
Seasonality
September to February
Feeding and diet
Larvae probably feed on lichen
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.
