Pyralis farinalis

Pyralis farinalis Linnaeus, 1758
(one synonym : Asopia domesticalis)
Meal Moth
PYRALINI , PYRALINAE , PYRALIDAE

Don Herbison-Evans ( donherbisonevans@yahoo.com )
&
Stella Crossley

Pyralis farinalis
(Photo: courtesy of Laura Levens, Upper Beaconsfield, Victoria)

The Caterpillars of this moth are a cosmopolitan pest on stored grain. They are cream coloured with a brown head, and grow to a length of about 2 cms.

(Specimen: courtesy of the The Australian Museum)

The adult moths have brown wings with arcs of white lines. On the forewings, these separate darker patches at the tip and base. The eyes have a green sheen. The moth typically rests with the tip of its abdomen turned up. The wingspan is about 2 cms.

The Pheromones for this species have been determined.

The species is found all over the world, including:

Canada,

Great Britain,
and all of Australia including

Western Australia,

Northern Territory,

New South Wales,

Australian Capital Territory, and

Victoria.

Further reading :

Ian F.B. Common,
Moths of Australia, Melbourne University Press, 1990, fig. 31.19, pp. 68, 349.

Paul Zborowski and Ted Edwards,
A Guide to Australian Moths, CSIRO Publishing, 2007, p. 53.