Elachista asperae
Encyclopedia
Elachista asperae is a moth
of the Elachistidae
family. It is found along the coast of New South Wales
.
The wingspan
is 8.8-9.2 mm for males and 10.3 mm for females. The forewings are pale grey. The hindwings are grey.
The larvae feed on Gahnia aspera
. They mine
the leaves of their host plant. The mine may be found in any part of the leaf. It is broad and irregularly shaped and reaches a length of about 100 mm. Pupation takes place outside of the mine.
Moth
A moth is an insect closely related to the butterfly, both being of the order Lepidoptera. Moths form the majority of this order; there are thought to be 150,000 to 250,000 different species of moth , with thousands of species yet to be described...
of the Elachistidae
Elachistidae
| image = Elachista rufocinerea 2.jpg| image_width = 240px| image_caption = Adult Elachista rufocinerea,demonstrating its tiny size versus an aphid and a spider mite | regnum = Animalia| phylum = Arthropoda| classis = Insecta...
family. It is found along the coast of New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
.
The wingspan
Wingspan
The wingspan of an airplane or a bird, is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777 has a wingspan of about ; and a Wandering Albatross caught in 1965 had a wingspan of , the official record for a living bird.The term wingspan, more technically extent, is...
is 8.8-9.2 mm for males and 10.3 mm for females. The forewings are pale grey. The hindwings are grey.
The larvae feed on Gahnia aspera
Gahnia aspera
Gahnia aspera known as the Rough Saw-sedge is a tussock forming perennial plant, often seen in moist situations. The long strap like leaves grow to 80 cm long....
. They mine
Leaf miner
Leaf miner is a term used to describe the larvae of many different species of insect which live in and eat the leaf tissue of plants. The vast majority of leaf-mining insects are moths , sawflies and flies , though some beetles and wasps also exhibit this behavior.Like Woodboring beetles, leaf...
the leaves of their host plant. The mine may be found in any part of the leaf. It is broad and irregularly shaped and reaches a length of about 100 mm. Pupation takes place outside of the mine.