Elachista magidina
Encyclopedia
Elachista magidina is a moth
of the Elachistidae
family. It is found in the coastal forests of New South Wales
and the Lamington National Park
in southern Queensland
.
The wingspan
is 9.6-11.5 mm for males and 9.2-11.4 mm for females. The forewings are white. The hindwings are grey.
The larvae feed on Lepidosperma laterale
and Lepidosperma elatius. 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 200 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 coastal forests 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...
and the Lamington National Park
Lamington National Park
Lamington is a national park in Queensland, Australia, lying on the Lamington Plateau of the McPherson Range on the Queensland/New South Wales border...
in southern 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 9.6-11.5 mm for males and 9.2-11.4 mm for females. The forewings are white. The hindwings are grey.
The larvae feed on 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....
and Lepidosperma elatius. 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 200 mm. Pupation takes place outside of the mine on a leaf of the host plant.