The caterpillars of this family are small,
only growing to a length of about 1 cm.
The caterpillars are miners, burrowing into the stems and leaves of Grasses
(POACEAE), Sedges
(CYPERACEAE), Rushes
(JUNCACEAE), and Flags
(IRIDACEAE).
Some authors have also included the species listed elsewhere in these webpages
in ETHMIIDAE
as in a subfamily ETHMIINAE of ELACHISTIDAE, but here following
Nielsen, Edwards and Rangsi, we treat ETHMIIDAE as a separate family.
Some of the 148 named Australian species in ELACHISTIDAE are:
Elachista aepsera
Elachista alacera
Elachista alampeta
Elachista aluta
Elachista anolba
Elachista aposematica
Elachista arctodyta
Elachista argopis
Elachista ascidiella
Elachista asperae
Elachista aurita
Elachista averta
Elachista bidens
Elachista bilobella
Elachista campsella
Elachista carcharota
Elachista catagma
Elachista cataptila
Elachista catarata
Elachista ceratiola
Elachista cerebrosella
Elachista cerina
Elachista cerrita
Elachista chilotera
Elachista chloropepla
Elachista citrina
Elachista coalita
Elachista commoncommelinae
Elachista corbicula
Elachista corneola
Elachista crenatella
Elachista crocospila
Elachista crumilla
Elachista cursa
Elachista cyanea
Elachista cycotis
Elachista cylistica
Elachista cynopa
Elachista delira
Elachista demogenes
Elachista deusta
Elachista dieropa
Elachista discina
Elachista diligens
Elachista effusi
Elachista elaphria
Elachista ensifera
Elachista epartica
Elachista erebophthalma
Elachista eriodes
Elachista essymena
Elachista etorella
Elachista euthema
Elachista evexa
Elachista faberella
Elachista festina
Elachista filiphila
Elachista floccella
Elachista flammula
Elachista flavicilia
Elachista floccella
Elachista freyerella
Elachista fucosa
Elachista gemadella
Elachista gerasmia
Elachista gladiatrix
Elachista gladiograpta
Elachista glomerella
Elachista glossina
Elachista habrella
Elachista helvola
Elachista ictera
Elachista ignicolor
Elachista illota
Elachista impiger
Elachista indigens
Elachista lachnella
Elachista laterina
Elachista leucastra
Elachista levipes
Elachista ligula
Elachista litharga
Elachista lopadina
Elachista magidina
Elachista melanthes
Elachista melina
Elachista menura
Elachista merista
Elachista metallifera
Elachista micalis
Elachista mundula
Elachista mutarata
Elachista mystropha
Elachista nielsencommelinae
Elasticha nodosae
Elachista ophelma
Elachista ophthalma
Elachista opima
Elachista paragauda
Elachista paryphoea
Elachista patania
Elachista patersoniae
Elachista peridiola
Elachista pharetra
Elachista phascola
Elachista physalodes
Elachista platina
Elachista platysma
Elachista polliae
Elachista prolatella
Elachista propera
Elachista protensa
Elachista ravella
Elachista repanda
Elachista rhomboidea
Elachista rubiginosae
Elachista rudicula
Elachista ruscella
Elachista sandaraca
Elachista sappirella
Elachista sarota
Elachista scitula
Elachista scopulina
Elachista seductilis
Elachista solena
Elachista spathacea
Elachista sphaerella
Elachista spinodora
Elachista spongicola
Elachista stictifica
Elachista strenua
Elachista synethes
Elachista syntomella
Elachista tetraquetri
Elachista toralis
Elachista toropis
Elachista toryna
Elachista trulla
Elachista velox
Elachista velutina
Elachista vitellina
Elachista zeta
Elachista zophosema
Perittia antauges
Perittia daleris
Perittia deroga
Urodeta inusta
Further reading:
Lauri Kaila,
Elachistine Moths of Australia: (Lepidoptera: Gelechioidea: Elachistidae),
Monographs on Australian Lepidoptera,
Volume 11, CSIRO publishing, 2011.
(updated 31 May 2014, 20 August 2017, 17 July 2022)
