Elachista platysma
Encyclopedia
Elachista platysma is a moth
of the Elachistidae
family. It is found in Australia
.
The wingspan
is 7.3-9 mm for males and 7.9-8.7 mm for females. The forewings are bluish grey and the hindwings are grey.
The larvae feed on Lepidosperma tuberculatum and other Lepidosperma
species. They mine
the leaves of their host plant. Initially, the mine is straight and runs along the edge of the leaf. Later, it widens and turns downwards The mine is filled with frass, except the distal 20 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 Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
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 7.3-9 mm for males and 7.9-8.7 mm for females. The forewings are bluish grey and the hindwings are grey.
The larvae feed on Lepidosperma tuberculatum and other Lepidosperma
Lepidosperma
Lepidosperma is a genus of flowering plant of the family Cyperaceae native to Australia.-Species:Species include:*Lepidosperma angustatum R.Br.*Lepidosperma aphyllum R.Br.*Lepidosperma avium K.L.Wilson...
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. Initially, the mine is straight and runs along the edge of the leaf. Later, it widens and turns downwards The mine is filled with frass, except the distal 20 mm. Pupation takes place outside of the mine on a leaf of the host plant.