Elachista catarata

Elachista catarata
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Elachistidae
Genus: Elachista
Species: E. catarata
Binomial name
Elachista catarata
Meyrick, 1897

Elachista catarata is a moth of the Elachistidae family that can be found in eastern New South Wales, the Australian Capital Territory and Tasmania.[1]

The wingspan is 7.8–8.8 millimetres (0.31–0.35 in) for males and 7.8–9.5 millimetres (0.31–0.37 in) for females. The forewings are dark bluish grey. The hindwings are dark grey.

The larvae feed on Carex appressa and Carex longebrachiata. They mine the leaves of their host plant. The mine reaches a length of about 200 millimetres (7.9 in). The frass is deposited in a dense block in the upper part of the mine. Pupation takes place outside of the mine, along the midrib of a leaf of the host plant.

References

  1. Lauri Kaila (2011). "Elachistine Moths of Australia: Lepidoptera, Gelechioidea, Elachistidae". Monographs on Australian Lepidoptera (CSIRO) 11.
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