Roscidotoga lamingtonia most closely resembles R. callicomae, but it also has some similarities to R. sapphiripes, the edged scape, metallic collar with lamellate scales and bluish metallic thorax and forewing base are characteristic in combination. The male genitalia also resemble R. callicomae, but are easily separated by the larger number of cornuti and the long unforked dorsal process on the aedeagus. R. eucryphiae also has more cornuti (17), which are arranged in a U-shape; the cornuti are of even size, unlike in R. lamingtonia, and a cornutus associated with the base of the ejaculatory duct is lacking. The valva in R. eucryphiae also differs in having the digitate process more humped laterally, and not extending beyond the tegumen / uncus. The female genitalia differ from R. callicomae and R. eucryphiae by the larger number of convolutions in the ductus spermathecae and the larger number of setae on T8.
Male. Forewing length 2.1–2.3 mm (holotype 2.3), wingspan 5.0–5.1 mm.
Live moth in rest slightly bell-shaped. Head: frontal tuft entirely yellowish orange, or two lateral tufts on vertex darker, brownish; collar comprising lamellar scales, bluish metallic; antenna with 33–36 segments (holotype 36), scape large, longer than width of vertex between antennae, cream white, posterior third grey; flagellum grey brown. Thorax bluish metallic; forewing dark fuscous, basal third bluish metallic; silver metallic scales with bluish reflections scattered in distal two thirds, forming a triangular oblique streak from costa near middle slightly variable in size, and a very small to almost absent opposite dorsal spot; extent of silver markings variable; cilia line present. Hindwing and cilia grey brown; underside of both wings dark fuscous.
Abdomen upperside fuscous, almost black, no visible anal tufts; underside paler, silvery grey.
Male genitalia. Capsule 350–365 µm long. Vinculum with large ventral plate, slightly or not indented. Tegumen/uncus with two widely separated posterior processes, each slightly serrate, with ca. 4. strong setae, in addition 2 strong setae dorsally on tegumen. Valva 205–250 µm long, basally broadly triangular, narrowing towards two thirds, ending in a setose digitate process; transtilla interrupted in middle, sublateral processes rather long. Aedeagus 325–380 µm long, with long pointed dorsal process (dp in Fig. 7) and short triangular ventral process (vp in Fig. 7), in situ between valvae; vesica with one spine-like cornutus near base of ejaculatory duct, associated with indistinct sclerotization; distally one long curved cornutus (130–145 µm long) with thickened and split apex, next to a group of 9–11 dagger shaped cornuti of variable size.
Female genitalia (from pupa). Total length ca 1000 µm. S8 broadly rounded. T8 a narrow rounded band with ca. 22 setae in total. Anterior apophyses with broadly lobed bases, with very short anterior apodemes, posterior apophyses narrow, rather long. Vestibulum with some indistinct sclerotizations, ending in small folded accessory sac of about 200 µm long. Ductus spermathecae with ca. 6 convolutions. Corpus bursae with small diverticulum (d in Fig 12 in original description), otherwise completely without structures.
Larva. Green, head pale brown, feeding with ventral side up. Headcapsule ca 440 µm long, 445 µm wide. A10 with 4 pairs of setae. Larva agrees otherwise with generic description, as far as could be judged. The single larva was taken from a cocoon and many characters are obscured by the presence of a pupal skin inside the larval integument.
Pupa. Abdominal segments 2–8 each with 4–5 rows of rather small spines, as in R. callicomae.
Host plant. Sloanea woollsii F. Muell. (Elaeocarpaceae), a tree of warm temperate and subtropical rainforest, common in coastal NSW and Queensland.
Egg. On either surface of leaf, in 12 out of 28 mines on upper surface, usually against a vein.
Mine: A more or less contorted linear gallery with linear frass throughout, later slightly dispersed, but still leaving broad margins; exit-hole on upperside.
Cocoon: brown.
Larvae were collected on 8 and 13 July and 12 and 19 August; adults emerged indoors (in The Netherlands!) on 3 and 11 October.
Hostplant: Sloanea woollsii F. Muell. (Elaeocarpaceae)
Australia: southern Queensland and northern New South Wales, McPherson Range.
Within Lamington National Park, Sloanea woollsii is a widespread and common tree in warm temperate and subtropical rainforest, and also R. lamingtonia appears to be rather common. We found mines on several sites along the Lower Bellbird, Border Track and Daves Creek Circuits, ranging from about 500 m to 840 m in altitude.
Description based on original description (Van Nieukerken et al 2011)