Characteristics
- Stout body, narrow wings, often gray, brown, or whitish
- Slow flight, mostly nocturnal, sometimes crepuscular
- Proboscis often reduced or absent, adults do not feed
- Antennae sometimes pectinate in males
- Females larger than males in some species
Habitat
Cossoidea are found in:
- Forests, woodlands, hedgerows, tree-filled parks, orchards
- Environments rich in woody host plants
- Presence of old trees, dead branches, or mature shrubs
- Rarely observed as adults, except at light or during emergence
Biology
- Wood-boring caterpillars: live inside trunks, stems, or roots
- Long larval cycle: 1 to 4 years depending on species and conditions
- Pupation occurs inside the gallery or at the tree base
- Adults emerge discreetly, often in summer
- Some species emit a strong odor (notably Cossus cossus)
Included Families
- Cossidae – Main family, includes Cossus cossus, the goat moth
- Metarbelidae, Dudgeoneidae – Exotic or tropical families
- Lepidoptera incertae sedis – Some related groups occasionally included
Notable Species
- Cossus cossus – Large gray moth, pink caterpillar with strong odor, wood-borer of poplar, willow, etc.
- Zeuzera pyrina – Small white spotted moth, feared in orchards (larvae bore into branches)
- Phragmataecia castaneae – Species associated with reed beds and woody stems
Notable Features
- Internal damage sometimes mistaken for wood diseases
- Presence often betrayed by frass or sawdust at gallery entrances
- Economic impact in arboriculture or forestry
- Adults are hard to observe, but caterpillars can be quite spectacular
A realistic illustration of an adult Cossus cossus on a tree trunk, or a pink wood-boring caterpillar emerging from its hole, will be added soon.