Gisilia thoracista (Meyrick, 1915)
 (formerly known as Cholotis thoracista)
CHRYSOPELEIINAE,   COSMOPTERIGIDAE,   GELECHIOIDEA
 
Don Herbison-Evans
(donherbisonevans@yahoo.com)
and
Stella Crossley

Gisilia thoracista
(Photo: courtesy of Katarina Christenson, Melba, Australian Capital Territory)

The adult moths of this species have variable speckled pale grey forewings, each with three black spots. The head and thorax are dark grey. The moths have a pair of upturned labial palps held close to the head. The wingspan is about 0.9 cms.

Gisilia thoracista
(Photo: courtesy of Katarina Christenson, Melba, Australian Capital Territory)

The species has been found across south-east Asia, including :

  • Hong Kong,
  • Sarawak, and
  • Thailand,

    and in Australia in

  • Northern Territory,
  • Queensland,
  • New South Wales, and
  • Australian Capital Territory.

    Previously: this species had been placed in the genus Ascalenia until a microscopic examination of the female genitalia showed that it belonged in Gisilia.

    Further reading :

    Edward Meyrick,
    Cosmoterygidae
    Exotic Microlepideoptera,
    Volume 1 (1915), pp. 327-328.

    Jae-Cheon Sohn & Kyu-Tek Park,
    Two new species of Gisilia Kasy, 1968 (Lepidoptera, Cosmopterigidae) from Korea with first report of piercing oviscapts
    Zootaxa,
    Volume 4418, Part 2 (2018), pp. 179-186.

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    (written 26 January 2025, updated 27 January 2025)