''Xylorycta candescens'' 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 the

Northern Territory The Northern Territory (commonly abbreviated as NT; formally the Northern Territory of Australia) is an states and territories of Australia, Australian territory in the central and central northern regions of Australia. The Northern Territory ...

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_ ...

. 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 21 mm for males and 26–35 mm for females. The forewings are shining snow white with the extreme costal edge ochreous, becoming indistinct at around the apex and fuscous at the base. There is a broad light fuscous longitudinal streak along the inner margin, from near the base to the anal angle, and continued right through the cilia, somewhat attenuated anteriorly. The hindwings are pale grey. The larvae feed on ''

Grevillea ''Grevillea'', commonly known as spider flowers, is a genus of about 360 species of evergreen flowering plants in the family Proteaceae. Plants in the genus ''Grevillea'' are shrubs, rarely trees, with the leaves arranged alternately along the b ...

'' species, including '' Grevillea mimosoides''. They tie the leaves or seed pods of their host plant with silk.McMillan, Ian (30 June 2010)
"''Xylorycta candescens'' Lower, 1896"
''Xyloryctine Moths of Australia''. Retrieved 11 July 2020.

References

Xylorycta Moths described in 1896 {{Xyloryctidae-stub