wood moth

noun

: a moth with a larva that bores in wood: such as

a

: any of various moths of the family Cossidae

b

: any of various dull heavy-bodied moths of the family Zeuzeridae

especially : an Australian moth (Xyleutes boisduvali) with narrow brownish wings heavily covered with gray scales and having a span of up to 10 inches in the larger female, a large cylindrical abdomen, and a 6 to 7 inch larva that bores in various eucalypts and is considered a delicacy by the aborigines

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