''Xylorycta argyrota'' 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 1908. 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 ...

Characteristics

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 for males and 20 mm for females. The forewings are silvery whitish, almost white in some specimens. There is a moderately clear white costal streak, from the base to three-fourths, posteriorly attenuated. The veins towards the termen are obscurely outlined with pale fuscous. The hindwings are grey. The larvae feed on ''

Juncus ''Juncus'' is a genus of monocotyledonous flowering plants, commonly known as rushes. It is the largest genus in the family Juncaceae, containing around 300 species. Description Rushes of the genus ''Juncus'' are herbaceous plants that superfici ...

'' species. They bore in the stem of their host plant.McMillan, Ian (30 June 2010)
"''Xylorycta argyrota'' Lower, 1908"
''Xyloryctine Moths of Australia''. Retrieved 11 July 2020.

References

Xylorycta Moths described in 1908 {{Xyloryctidae-stub