Elachista flammula

A Gelechioid moth (Elachistidae at suppressed

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Identification history

Labdia oxysema	1 Feb 2026	ibaird
Labdia (genus)	1 Feb 2026	ibaird
Labdia argophracta	5 Jan 2026	WendyEM
Elachista flammula	5 Jan 2026	ibaird
Elachista flammula	2 Jan 2026	CathB

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7 comments

ibaird wrote:

10 Jan 2026

I'm not sure this matches the iNaturalist examples:-
https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/1353287-Labdia-argophracta/browse_photos
See also here:-
https://bold-au.hobern.net/specimens.php?taxid=326537
https://bold-au.hobern.net/specimens.php?taxid=372900

Lkaila wrote:

30 Jan 2026

Even though the wing pattern matches Elachista flammula, this is a cosmopterigid, in the genus Labdia (I cannot now remember its species, sorry, but it is abundant in ACT at least. From Elachista it is easiest to distinguish by the very long labial palpi.

WendyEM wrote:

30 Jan 2026

@Lkaila could it be Labdia argophracta ? I think I have also recorded it in central Victoria

ibaird wrote:

30 Jan 2026

I see the first image showing the specimen side-on matching other side-on shots of E. flammua on iNaturalist, but not of L. argophracta. I do not think the examples on Bold Hobern are a close match to this specimen
https://bold-au.hobern.net/specimens.php?taxid=372900
I can see though that Labdia oxysema may be a likely candidate
https://bie.ala.org.au/species/https://biodiversity.org.au/afd/taxa/8fb405d8-b7bb-41be-9f77-c921fcdbd0b3#gallery

Lkaila wrote:

30 Jan 2026

I agree, this is Labdia oxysema.

WendyEM wrote:

30 Jan 2026

Maybe it is Labdia sp. ANIC5 ?
https://bold-au.hobern.net/specimens.php?taxid=372815
Labdia argophracta, I realise now, has a longer white stripe along the inner margin.
https://bold-au.hobern.net/specimens.php?taxid=372900
Sorry about delay with this. I wrote it before your comments but my internet went off-line due to heat, until late tonight.

ibaird wrote:

1 Feb 2026

Perhaps Labdia sp.ANIC5 (there are many images), but I don't see the apparently characteristic downward curve in the white line along the costa that many of those speciimens seem to have.

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Sighting information

At least 1 Abundance
CathB Recorded by
Collections
CathB NatureMapr Canberra & Southern Tablelands Curved-horn moths (all Gelechioidea except Oecophoridae) Moths (Lepidoptera) Insects Elachista flammula

Additional information

5mm to 12mm Animal size

Species information

Elachista flammula Scientific name
A Gelechioid moth (Elachistidae Common name
Not Sensitive
Local native
Non-invasive or negligible
Up to 625.21m Recorded at altitude

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