List of moths of Australia (Gracillariidae) facts for kids

A Gracillariidae moth is a type of tiny moth that belongs to the family called Gracillariidae. These moths are often called "leaf miners" because their larvae (the caterpillar stage) live inside and eat the leaves of plants. They create tunnels or "mines" within the leaf tissue. This list shows all the known species of Gracillariidae moths found in Australia. It's also part of a bigger list of all the moths found in Australia.

What are Gracillariidae Moths?

Gracillariidae moths are usually very small, often with shiny wings. They are found all over the world. Their caterpillars are special because they live inside plant leaves. This protects them from predators and the weather. Each species of moth often prefers to live in certain types of plants.

How Do Leaf-Mining Moths Live?

When a female Gracillariidae moth lays her eggs, she often places them on a leaf. Once the egg hatches, the tiny caterpillar burrows into the leaf. It then starts to eat the soft parts of the leaf, creating a tunnel or a blotch. This tunnel is called a "mine." As the caterpillar grows, the mine gets bigger. Different species create different shapes of mines, which helps scientists identify them.

Why are These Moths Important?

Even though they are small, these moths play a role in nature. They can sometimes affect plants, including crops. Studying them helps scientists understand how insects interact with plants and how ecosystems work. Knowing which species live in Australia helps us protect our unique wildlife.

Gracillarinae Moths in Australia

This group is one of the main subfamilies of Gracillariidae moths found in Australia. Many of these moths are known for their beautiful, often metallic, wing patterns.

• Acrocercops aeglophanes Turner, 1913
• Acrocercops aeolellum (Meyrick, 1880)
• Acrocercops albida Turner, 1947
• Acrocercops albomaculella (Turner, 1894)
• Acrocercops alysidota (Meyrick, 1880)
• Acrocercops antigrapha Turner, 1926
• Acrocercops antimima Turner, 1940
• Acrocercops apoblepta Turner, 1913
• Acrocercops archepolis (Meyrick, 1907)
• Acrocercops argyrodesma (Meyrick, 1882)
• Acrocercops argyrosema Turner, 1947
• Acrocercops autadelpha (Meyrick, 1880)
• Acrocercops axinophora Turner, 1940
• Acrocercops caenotheta (Meyrick, 1880)
• Acrocercops calicella (Stainton, 1862)
• Acrocercops candida Turner, 1947
• Acrocercops chalcea Turner, 1926
• Acrocercops chalceopla (Turner, 1913)
• Acrocercops chionoplecta (Meyrick, 1882)
• Acrocercops chionosema Turner, 1940
• Acrocercops clinozona Meyrick, 1920
• Acrocercops clisiophora Turner, 1940
• Acrocercops crucigera Meyrick, 1920
• Acrocercops didymella (Meyrick, 1880)
• Acrocercops doloploca Meyrick, 1921
• Acrocercops enchlamyda (Turner, 1894)
• Acrocercops ennychodes Meyrick, 1921
• Acrocercops eupetala (Meyrick, 1880)
• Acrocercops euryschema Turner, 1947
• Acrocercops grammatacma Meyrick, 1921
• Acrocercops hedymopa Turner, 1913
• Acrocercops hierocosma Meyrick, 1912
• Acrocercops hoplocala (Meyrick, 1880)
• Acrocercops irrorata (Turner, 1894)
• Acrocercops isotoma Turner, 1940
• Acrocercops laciniella (Meyrick, 1880)
• Acrocercops leptalea (Turner, 1900)
• Acrocercops leucomochla Turner, 1926
• Acrocercops leucotoma Turner, 1913
• Acrocercops lithogramma Meyrick, 1920
• Acrocercops macaria Turner, 1913
• Acrocercops mendosa Meyrick, 1912
• Acrocercops mesochaeta Meyrick, 1920
• Acrocercops nereis (Meyrick, 1880)
• Acrocercops obscurella (Turner, 1894)
• Acrocercops ochrocephala (Meyrick, 1880)
• Acrocercops ochroptila Turner, 1913
• Acrocercops ophiodes (Turner, 1896)
• Acrocercops osteopa Meyrick, 1920
• Acrocercops parallela (Turner, 1894)
• Acrocercops penographa Meyrick, 1920
• Acrocercops pertenuis Turner, 1923
• Acrocercops plebeia (Turner, 1894)
• Acrocercops plectospila Meyrick, 1921
• Acrocercops poliocephala Turner, 1913
• Acrocercops prospera Meyrick, 1920
• Acrocercops pyrigenes (Turner, 1896)
• Acrocercops retrogressa Meyrick, 1921
• Acrocercops spodophylla Turner, 1913
• Acrocercops stereomita Turner, 1913
• Acrocercops symploca Turner, 1913
• Acrocercops tetrachorda Turner, 1913
• Acrocercops trapezoides (Turner, 1894)
• Acrocercops tricalyx Meyrick, 1921
• Acrocercops tricuneatella (Meyrick, 1880)
• Acrocercops trisigillata Meyrick, 1921
• Acrocercops tristaniae (Turner, 1894)
• Acrocercops unilineata Turner, 1894
• Aristaea acares (Turner, 1939)
• Aristaea amalopa (Meyrick, 1907)
• Aristaea machaerophora (Turner, 1940)
• Aristaea periphanes Meyrick, 1907
• Aristaea thalassias (Meyrick, 1880)
• Aspilapteryx tessellata (Turner, 1940)
• Caloptilia adelosema (Turner, 1940)
• Caloptilia albospersa (Turner, 1894)
• Caloptilia auchetidella (Meyrick, 1880)
• Caloptilia aurora (Turner, 1894)
• Caloptilia azaleella (Brants, 1913)
• Caloptilia bryonoma (Turner, 1914)
• Caloptilia chalcoptera (Meyrick, 1880)
• Caloptilia chlorella (Turner, 1894)
• Caloptilia cirrhopis (Meyrick, 1907)
• Caloptilia crasiphila (Meyrick, 1912)
• Caloptilia crocostola (Turner, 1917)
• Caloptilia ecphanes (Turner, 1940)
• Caloptilia euglypta (Turner, 1894)
• Caloptilia eurycnema (Turner, 1894)
• Caloptilia eurythiota (Turner, 1913)
• Caloptilia euxesta (Turner, 1913)
• Caloptilia iophanes (Meyrick, 1912)
• Caloptilia ischiatris (Meyrick, 1907)
• Caloptilia leucolitha (Meyrick, 1912)
• Caloptilia liparoxantha (Meyrick, 1920)
• Caloptilia loxocentra (Turner, 1915)
• Caloptilia megalotis (Meyrick, 1908)
• Caloptilia oenopella (Meyrick, 1880)
• Caloptilia ostracodes (Turner, 1917)
• Caloptilia pedina (Turner, 1923)
• Caloptilia peltophanes (Meyrick, 1907)
• Caloptilia perixesta (Turner, 1913)
• Caloptilia plagata (Stainton, 1862)
• Caloptilia plagiotoma (Turner, 1913)
• Caloptilia scutigera (Meyrick, 1921)
• Caloptilia stictocrossa (Turner, 1947)
• Caloptilia thiophylla (Turner, 1913)
• Caloptilia thiosema (Turner, 1913)
• Caloptilia xanthopharella (Meyrick, 1880)
• Caloptilia xylophanes (Turner, 1894)
• Caloptilia xystophanes (Turner, 1913)
• Caloptilia octopunctata (Turner, 1894)
• Caloptilia cyanoxantha (Meyrick, 1920)
• Caloptilia panchrista (Turner, 1913) (formerly a synonym of Caloptilia protiella (Deventer, 1904))
• Calybites lepidella (Meyrick, 1880)
• Conopomorpha antimacha Meyrick, 1907
• Conopomorpha chionochtha Meyrick, 1907
• Conopomorpha cramerella (Snellen, 1904)
• Conopomorpha habrodes Meyrick, 1907
• Conopomorpha heliopla Meyrick, 1907
• Conopomorpha zaplaca Meyrick, 1907
• Cuphodes didymosticha Turner, 1940
• Cuphodes habrophanes Turner, 1940
• Cuphodes holoteles (Turner, 1913)
• Cuphodes lechriotoma (Turner, 1913)
• Cuphodes lithographa (Meyrick, 1912)
• Cuphodes maculosa Turner, 1940
• Cuphodes niphadias (Turner, 1913)
• Cuphodes profluens (Meyrick, 1916)
• Cuphodes thysanota Meyrick, 1897
• Cuphodes zophopasta (Turner, 1913)
• Cyphosticha albomarginata (Stainton, 1862)
• Cyphosticha callimacha (Meyrick, 1920)
• Cyphosticha dialeuca Turner, 1940
• Cyphosticha microta (Turner, 1894)
• Cyphosticha panconita Turner, 1913
• Cyphosticha pandoxa Turner, 1913
• Cyphosticha pyrochroma (Turner, 1894)
• Dialectica aemula (Meyrick, 1916)
• Dialectica scalariella (Zeller, 1850)
• Diphtheroptila ochridorsellum (Meyrick, 1880)
• Epicephala acrobaphes (Turner, 1900)
• Epicephala albistriatella (Turner, 1894)
• Epicephala australis (Turner, 1896)
• Epicephala bathrobaphes Turner, 1947
• Epicephala colymbetella Meyrick, 1880
• Epicephala epimicta (Turner, 1913)
• Epicephala eugonia Turner, 1913
• Epicephala lomatographa Turner, 1913
• Epicephala nephelodes Turner, 1913 (synonym: Epicephala stephanephora Turner, 1923)
• Epicephala spumosa Turner, 1947
• Epicephala trigonophora (Turner, 1900)
• Epicephala zalosticha Turner, 1940
• Epicnistis euryscia Meyrick, 1906
• Gibbovalva quadrifasciata (Stainton, 1863)
• Macarostola ageta (Turner, 1917)
• Macarostola formosa (Stainton, 1862)
• Macarostola ida (Meyrick, 1880)
• Macarostola miltopepla (Turner, 1926)
• Macarostola polyplaca (Lower, 1894)
• Macarostola rosacea (Turner, 1940)
• Melanocercops melanommata (Turner, 1913)
• Metacercops cuphomorpha (Turner, 1940)
• Monocercops actinosema (Turner, 1923)
• Neurostrota gunniella (Busck, 1906)
• Parectopa clethrata Lower, 1923
• Parectopa leucographa Turner, 1940
• Parectopa lyginella (Meyrick, 1880)
• Parectopa mnesicala (Meyrick, 1880)
• Parectopa ophidias (Meyrick, 1907)
• Parectopa toxomacha (Meyrick, 1882)
• Parectopa tyriancha Meyrick, 1920
• Pogonocephala heteropsis (Lower, 1894)
• Polysoma eumetalla (Meyrick, 1880)

Lithocolletinae Moths in Australia

This subfamily includes moths that are also leaf miners. They are known for creating very specific types of mines in leaves.

• Phyllonorycter conista (Meyrick, 1911) (synonym: Phyllonorycter clarisona (Meyrick, 1916))
• Phyllonorycter enchalcoa (Turner, 1939)
• Phyllonorycter lalagella (Newman, 1856)
• Phyllonorycter messaniella (Zeller, 1846)
• Phyllonorycter stephanota (Meyrick, 1907)
• Porphyrosela aglaozona (Meyrick, 1882)
• Porphyrosela dismochrysa (Lower, 1897)

Phyllocnistinae Moths in Australia

The moths in this group are also leaf miners. They often make very narrow, winding mines on the surface of leaves.

• Phyllocnistis acmias Meyrick, 1906
• Phyllocnistis atractias Meyrick, 1906
• Phyllocnistis atranota Meyrick, 1906
• Phyllocnistis citrella Stainton, 1856
• Phyllocnistis diaugella Meyrick, 1880
• Phyllocnistis dichotoma Turner, 1947
• Phyllocnistis diplomochla Turner, 1923
• Phyllocnistis ephimera Turner, 1926
• Phyllocnistis eurymochla Turner, 1923
• Phyllocnistis hapalodes Meyrick, 1906
• Phyllocnistis iodocella Meyrick, 1880
• Phyllocnistis leptomianta Turner, 1923
• Phyllocnistis nymphidia Turner, 1947
• Phyllocnistis psychina Meyrick, 1906
• Phyllocnistis triortha Meyrick, 1906

Some species belong to the Phyllocnistinae group but haven't been placed into a specific genus yet. Here are their original names:

• Eurytyla automacha Meyrick, 1893
• Gracilaria confectella Walker, 1864
• Gracilaria delicatulella Walker, 1864