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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Butterflies and Moths (Lepidoptera) » Twirler Moths and kin (Gelechioidea) » Grass Miner Moths (Elachistidae) » Elachistinae » Elachista

Genus Elachista

Classification · Synonyms and other taxonomic changes · Explanation of Names · Numbers · Identification · Food · Remarks · Print References · Internet References · Works Cited
A tiny white moth - Elachista St. Andrews leaf miner on Dichanthelium oligosanthes SA356 2016 1 - Elachista Elachistidae: Elachista griseicornis? - Elachista moth - Elachista Phylloporia bistrigella? - Elachista Unk moth - Elachista Antispila? - Elachista cucullata Elachista ?madarella - Elachista
Show images of: caterpillars · adults · both
Classification
Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)
Class Insecta (Insects)
Order Lepidoptera (Butterflies and Moths)
Superfamily Gelechioidea (Twirler Moths and kin)
Family Elachistidae (Grass Miner Moths)
Subfamily Elachistinae
Genus Elachista
Synonyms and other taxonomic changes
Elachista Treitschke, 1833
Explanation of Names
Generic epithet Elachista is Greek meaning "very small." (1)
Numbers
There are 141 named species of Elachista in America north of Mexico. (MPG list).
Identification
Genitalia dissection is needed for identification of many species in this group.
Food
Larvae are miners feeding on grasses and sedges. (2)
Remarks
Kaila named many species after elements of J.R.R. Tolkien's legendarium.
Print References
Kaila, L. 1997. A revision of the Nearctic species of Elachista s. l. II. The argentella group (Lepidoptera, Elachistidae). Acta Zoologica Fennica 206: 1-93.
Internet References
Moth Photographers Group - photos of pinned adults representing many of the species
Works Cited
1.An accentuated list of the British Lepidoptera, with hints on the derivation of the names.
Anonymous. 1858. The Entomological Societies of Oxford and Cambridge.
2.Moths of Western North America
Powell and Opler. 2009. UC Press.
Contributed by tom murray on 4 January, 2008 - 8:18pm
Additional contributions by Maury Heiman, Randy Hardy, Kyhl Austin
Last updated 8 January, 2016 - 8:46pm

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