About Plectophila discalis (Walker, 1865)
Plectophila discalis is a moth species belonging to the family Xyloryctidae, first described by Francis Walker in 1865. This species is found in Australia, with confirmed records from New South Wales, Queensland, and Victoria. The wingspan of adult Plectophila discalis ranges from 20 to 25 millimeters. The forewings of this moth are white. In females, a light fuscous suffusion forms a cloudy fascia. The outer edge of this fascia is distinct and rectangularly angled in the middle, running from three-fifths of the costa to the inner margin before the anal angle. This suffusion occupies the entire dorsal two-thirds of the wing from the base up to the fascia, except for a cloudy white spot below the middle of the wing. Dark fuscous scaling may sometimes be sprinkled longitudinally in the disc of the wing and on the posterior margin of the fascia. In males, these dark markings are largely reduced or nearly absent, with only partial signs of the posterior fascia and a small spot on the fold before the middle of the wing visible. An irregular suffused fuscous streak runs along the hindmargin of the forewings, and the edge of the hindmargin itself is dark fuscous. The hindwings are pale whitish ochreous grey. The terminal half of the hindwings is suffused with rather dark grey, and the extreme apex is whitish ochreous. The larvae of Plectophila discalis feed on Syncarpia glomulifera, Eucalyptus scabra, Cryptocarya glaucescens, and Hibiscus tiliaceus. They feed while sheltering inside a structure made of tied leaves.
