Elachista catarata

Description

Elachista catarata is a moth of the family Elachistidae that can be found in eastern New South Wales, the Australian Capital Territory and Tasmania. The wingspan is 7.8–8.8 millimetres (0.31–0.35 in) for males and 7.8–9.5 millimetres (0.31–0.37 in) for females. The forewings are dark bluish grey. The hindwings are dark grey. The larvae feed on Carex appressa and Carex longebrachiata. They mine the leaves of their host plant. The mine reaches a length of about 200 millimetres (7.9 in). The frass is deposited in a dense block in the upper part of the mine. Pupation takes place outside of the mine, along the midrib of a leaf of the host plant.