Elachista floccella
Encyclopedia
Elachista floccella is a moth
of the Elachistidae
family. It is found in the Australian Capital Territory
, New South Wales
and Tasmania
.
The wingspan
is 11.2-12.8 mm for males and 9.5-12.4 mm for females. The forewings are creamy white. The hindwings are grey.
The larvae feed on both narrow- and broad-leaved variants of Lepidosperma laterale
. They mine
the leaves of their host plant. Young larvae mine upwards, creating a straight and narrow initial stage of the mine. Later, the mine slowly widens and often turns downwards. The mine reaches a length of about 100 mm. 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 Australian Capital Territory
Australian Capital Territory
The Australian Capital Territory, often abbreviated ACT, is the capital territory of the Commonwealth of Australia and is the smallest self-governing internal territory...
, 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...
and Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
.
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 11.2-12.8 mm for males and 9.5-12.4 mm for females. The forewings are creamy white. The hindwings are grey.
The larvae feed on both narrow- and broad-leaved variants of Lepidosperma laterale
Lepidosperma laterale
Lepidosperma laterale, commonly known as the variable saw sedge, is a plant found in south and eastern Australia. It is often found on sandy soils or rocky areas in wooded areas....
. 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. Young larvae mine upwards, creating a straight and narrow initial stage of the mine. Later, the mine slowly widens and often turns downwards. The mine reaches a length of about 100 mm. Pupation takes place outside of the mine on a leaf of the host plant.