Elachista aurita
Encyclopedia
Elachista aurita is a moth
of the Elachistidae
family. It is found in the southern parts of the eastern coast of Queensland
.
The wingspan
is 6-6.2 mm for males and 5.8-6.4 mm for females. The forewings of the males are metallic blue basally with shiny dark bronzy brown scales distally. Females have similar forewings but have three silvery white markings. The hindwings of both sexes are dark grey.
The larvae feed on Oplismenus
species. They mine
the leaves of their host plant. Pupation takes place outside of the mine on a leaf of the host plant.
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 in the southern parts of the eastern coast of Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
.
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 6-6.2 mm for males and 5.8-6.4 mm for females. The forewings of the males are metallic blue basally with shiny dark bronzy brown scales distally. Females have similar forewings but have three silvery white markings. The hindwings of both sexes are dark grey.
The larvae feed on Oplismenus
Oplismenus
Oplismenus is a small genus of annual or perennial grasses found in tropical Asia and extending down through South East Asia into Australia. Scholz, who studied the genus throughout the world, recognized nine species and 18 infraspecific taxa. An English translation of her work is available at...
species. 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. Pupation takes place outside of the mine on a leaf of the host plant.