both of ARALIACEAE.

curled leaftip shelter

It hides in a shelter of a white flaky material that it makes under a curledleaf.

The adult moth is pale green or brown, with several dark dots on each forewing.

underside

The moth is very tiny, about 1-2 cm wing tip to wing tip. Photographing it was made easier by the fact that it kept quite still and allowed the camera to approach very closely. Perhaps it was willing itself invisible. This little moth is so delicate and beautiful, with its feathery wings and tiny form, that a little girl would think it was a fairy, and might spend her days searching for its fellows, and her nights dreaming of their adventures.

The species has been found over much of Australia, including

(Specimen: courtesy of the The Australian Museum)

Further reading :

Ian F.B. Common,
Moths of Australia,
Melbourne University Press, 1990, fig. 30.19, p. 333.

Francis Walker,
Catalogue of Lepidoptera Heterocera. Tineites,
List of the Specimens of Lepidopterous Insects in the Collection of the British Museum,
Part 30 (1864), p. 950, No. 25.

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(updated 27 June 2009, 30 March 2015, 16 January 2021)