Help Needed To I.D. This Critter

[Vincent Lucas]

It's been a long while since I posted anything to this list. . . . A  
friend of mine in St. Petersburg, Florida, is an avid palm enthusiast  
and has an incredible collection that is the envy of such giants as  
Fairchild Tropical Gardens in Coral Gables. Recently, he send me a  
picture of what he thinks is one of the case-bearer moths (family  
Coleophoridae) and asked for my assistance in helping to identify it.  
I'm stumped. Can anyone help with the identification? Go to this URL:

http://www.caloosabirdclub.org/VPL/unknown1.jpg

Here's what my friend has to say about this mystery critter:

"These twig-like protrusions (see attachment) on the trunk of a palm  
eventually move if you wait long enough, or watch from day to day.  
They are about 1/8 inch diameter and 1 inch long. There is definitely  
a caterpillar inside. The little critter is found on one and only one  
Foxtail Palm (Wodyetia bifurcata), an Austraian native.  The tree  
iuner [sic] study is approximately 15 yrs old from seed.  It is the  
only palm of approximately 50+ species in the yard, including another  
Wodyetia about 20 ft away, that is hosting the critters.  The  
critters stay only on the grey wood and do not venture onto the  
crownshaft."

Thanks.

Vincent Lucas
Naples, Florida
vlucas at swfla.rr.com
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