Elachista floccella

Elachista floccella
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Elachistidae
Genus:	Elachista
Species:	E. floccella
Binomial name
Elachista floccella Kaila, 2011

Elachista floccella is a moth of the Elachistidae family. It is found in Australia in the Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales and Tasmania.^[1]

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.

References

1. Elachistine Moths of Australia: Lepidoptera, Gelechioidea, Elachistidae