''Telecrates desmochrysa'' 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 Xyloryctidae is a family of moths contained within the superfamily Gelechioidea described by Edward Meyrick in 1890. Most genera are found in the Indo-Australian region. While many of these moths are tiny, some members of the family grow to a win ...

. It was described by

Oswald Bertram Lower Oswald Bertram Lower (1863 in Adelaide, South Australia – 18 March 1925 in Wayville, South Australia) was an Australian chemist and pharmacist who is best known for his contributions to entomology, in particular butterflies and moths. His colle ...

in 1896. 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

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

. 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 about 16 mm. The forewings are black with ochreous markings and a narrow oblique fascia from the costa at the base to about one-eighth the inner margin. There is an oblique fascia from beneath the costa at one-fourth to below the middle of the disc at about one-fourth. The upper portion is somewhat irregular and broken and there is a similar fascia in the middle of the wing, not reaching either margin, with a semi-circular excavation on the lower portion of the anterior edge, as well as an irregular spot on the costa at about five-sixths and a dentate (tooth-like) line immediately beneath this, somewhat curved, not reaching but approaching the anal angle. The hindwings are bronzy fuscous with a well-marked wedge-shaped orange spot along the base, but not reaching the inner margin. The larvae possibly feed on ''

Banksia ''Banksia'' is a genus of around 170 species in the plant family Proteaceae. These Australian wildflowers and popular garden plants are easily recognised by their characteristic flower spikes, and fruiting "cones" and heads. ''Banksias'' range i ...

'' species.McMillan, Ian (2 July 2010)
"''Telecrates'' Meyrick, 1890"
''Xyloryctine Moths of Australia''. Retrieved 11 July 2020.

References

Telecrates Moths described in 1896 {{Xyloryctidae-stub