Elachista flammula

1 O'Connor, ACT

Elachista flammula at O'Connor, ACT - 10 Jan 2021
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Identification history

Elachista flammula 1 Mar 2021 donhe
Elachista flammula 1 Mar 2021 GlennCocking

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Significant sighting

MichaelMulvaney noted:

2 Mar 2021

One of the first photographs of a wild specimen of this species that is only known from the Canberra area and one record from the Blue Mountains

User's notes

Attracted to UV light at night (50w Gecko).

6 comments

ibaird wrote:
   1 Mar 2021
A previously unidentified sighting from10 Jan 2021!
donhe wrote:
   1 Mar 2021
On BOLD there is one Labdia sp. looking quite like this, but it hails from New Guinea.
I think it could be Elachista flammula, known from ACT, or would that be too small ?
GlennCocking wrote:
   1 Mar 2021
4369651 and 4373820 may be two of the three first wild specimen photos for this species. Until recently it’s only been recorded in the ACT, reared from larvae mining in Carex polyantha on Cotter River and Condor Creek (and another group reared in Canberra itself in 1948). There is also a Blue Mtns record on INAT from 26/2/20. The sexes are dimorphic in wing pattern, and these are males (three of the four BOLD records are females). Reference: Elachistinae Moths of Australia, Laurie Kaila, CSIRO Publishing, 2011.
ibaird wrote:
   1 Mar 2021
I don't have a side-on shot, only one photo taken. I will look out for this in the future and take a sample if possible.
donhe wrote:
   2 Mar 2021
Female I think, judging by the white forewing costal marks.
Ian: I have taken the liberty of adding a copy of your photo to
http://lepidoptera.butterflyhouse.com.au/elac/flammula.html
I hope you approve?
Thanks, Don
ibaird wrote:
   2 Mar 2021
No worries, Don. Happy to contribute to LBH. I refer to it routinely on a very regular basis.

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Location information

Sighting information

Additional information

  • 12mm to 25mm Animal size

Species information

  • Elachista flammula Scientific name
  • Common name
  • Not Sensitive
  • Local native
  • Non-invasive or negligible
  • Up to 625.21m Recorded at altitude
  • Machine learning

Record quality

  • Images or audio
  • More than one media file
  • Verified by an expert moderator
  • Nearby sighting(s) of same species
  • GPS evidence of location
  • Description
  • Additional attributes
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