Kingdom Animalia Class Insecta Family Elachistidae Rank Species | Phylum Arthropoda Order Lepidoptera Genus Elachista | |
Elachista coalita is a moth of the Elachistidae family. It is found in south-eastern Australia, including the Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales and Tasmania.
The wingspan is 6.2-8.1 mm for males and 7-7.2 mm for females. The forewings are pale grey for males and black with a bronzy sheen and four white markings for females. The hindwings are grey.
The larvae feed on Joycea pallida. They mine the leaves of their host plant. The mine is straight and gradually widens. It reaches a length of about 200 mm. The frass is deposited in a dense block in the rear of the mine. Pupation takes place outside of the mine on either a leaf or a twig of the host plant.
References
Elachista coalita Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA