''Arignota stercorata'' is a

moth Moths are a paraphyletic group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not butterflies, with moths making up the vast majority of the order. There are thought to be approximately 160,000 species of moth, many of w ...

in the family Xyloryctidae. It was described by

Thomas Pennington Lucas Thomas Pennington Lucas (13 April 1843 – 15 November 1917), also known as T.P. Lucas, was a Scotland, Scottish-born Australian medical practitioner, Natural history, naturalist, author, philosopher and utopianist. Early life Lucas was born ...

in 1894. It is found in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

, where it has been recorded from

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

and

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

. It is also found in

Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea ( tpi, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niugini; ho, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niu Gini), is a country i ...

. The

wingspan The wingspan (or just span) of a bird or an airplane is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777–200 has a wingspan of , and a wandering albatross (''Diomedea exulans'') caught in 1965 had a wingspan of ...

is 28–35 mm. The forewings are white, with a number of pale leaden-coloured spots imitative of birds' droppings. There is an acute spot in the centre and a splash tinted with ferrous in the inner angle of the base. A triangular blotch is found at three-fifths of the costa and there are five round spots, the first near the costa at one-eighths, the second obliquely to the first and posterior, the third before the middle in the centre of the wing, the fourth at three-fourths of the wing, the fifth in a line with the fourth but nearer to the costa. Two sharp dots are arranged diagonally with first and second spots and four dots form a rhomboid figure at three-fifths, the two hinder ones tinted with purplish black. There is also an obscure dot on the hindmargin at five-sixths, and another half-way between this and the apex. There are three rows of fine hindmarginal spots. The hindwings are white. The larvae feed on '' Elaeocarpus obovatus''. They bore in the stem, feeding on leaves it cuts off and attaches at the entrance to the tunnel.McMillan, Ian (11 October 2010)
"''Arignota'' Turner, 1898"
''Xyloryctine Moths of Australia''. Retrieved 13 July 2020.

References

Xyloryctidae Moths described in 1894 Moths of New Guinea Moths of Australia {{Xyloryctidae-stub