This page contains pictures and information about Case Moths and Leaf Miners
in Superfamily TINEOIDEA that we found in
the Brisbane area, Queensland, Australia.
- Larvae in this superfamily live in silken tubular shelters or portable
case. Many of them are leaf-miners. Some of them are leaf-miners as young
larvae, later either joining adjacent leaves with silk or feeding exposed on
- Family Psychidae
- Case Moths
species the caterpillars live in a mobile case. The case is made of silk and
plants materials. Each species make case in different shapes. For some species, if it is a female, it will not develop wings
and will never come out of the bag. It just wait for a winged male in her
- Family Bucculatricidae
- Scribbly Gum Moths
- The larvae in this family are very small and we may not want to call them
caterpillars. They are usually leaf miners although the famous one in this
family is the under bark miner.
- Family Gracillariidae - Leaf Miners
- The caterpillars in this family form tunnels and cavities in the spongy
layer between the upper and lower surfaces of leaves. Their adult moths are
slander and small in size. Their wings are narrows, with long hair along the
hind wing margins.
- 1. Insects
of Australia, CSIRO, Division of Entomology, Melbourne University
Press, 2nd Edition 1991, pp 817.
- 2. Insects of Australia and New Zealand - R. J. Tillyard, Angus
& Robertson, Ltd, Sydney, 1926, p396.
- 3. Caterpillars
of Australian Moths - Don Herbison-Evans & Stella Crossley, 2007
- 4. MOTH FAMILIES - Some Australian Moths from South-East Queensland, Ian McMillan, 2006.
- 5. Moths of Australia
- I. F. B. Common, Melbourne University Press, 1990, p174.
- 6. Moths
of Australia - Bernard D'Abrera, Lansdowne Press, Melbourne, 1974.
- 7. Northern
Territory Insects, A Comprehensive Guide CD - Graham Brown, 2009.
- 8. Australian Moths Online - CSIRO Ecosystem Sciences 2011.
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[ PSYCHIDAE ] [ BUCCULATRICIDAE ] [ GRACILLARIIDAE ]