Metura | |
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Metura elongatus caterpillar or pupa inside cocoon | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Class: | Insecta |
Order: | Lepidoptera |
Family: | Psychidae |
Genus: | Metura Walker, 1855 |
Species | |
See text |
Metura is a genus of bagworm or case moths in the family Psychidae, endemic to Oceania.[1] The genus contains the largest species of Psychidae known, M. aristocosma, with a larval bag of up to 300 mm and an adult male wingspan of 60 mm.[2]
Metura are polyphagous, where they may be commonly encountered on garden plants in urban areas, or affixed to structures nearby. Like all Psychidae, the larvae construct a protective larval bag which is a portable structure made primarily of silk and adornment, and is carried with them wherever they move.[3] Various natural items are incorporated into the larval bag, such as sticks, leaves, and fragments of wood fibers, and the exact composition of such items may be useful in larval identification.
Although larvae may be commonly encountered, adults are rarely seen. The females are completely wingless and have reduced features, and never leave their larval bag.[1]