Elachista cynopa Meyrick

Figs 7, 8, 16

Elachista cynopa MeyriCk, 1897: 334 .

Material examined from New Caledonia. New Caledonia 22°5’15’’S 166°26’30’’E Mt. Dzumac, 625 m, 2.Nov.1986 1 ♂ UV trap R. Brown & O. Pellmyr leg., genitalia slide by M. Metz USNM 146.431 (USNM).

Diagnosis. Elachista cynopa is a stout-bodied species with thick male antennae and forewing colour grey with dark grey plical discal spots, with darker scales along fold and irregularly between the fold and dorsal margin. As such, it is particularly similar to E. scoteina among New Caledonian species. The male genitalia of E cynopa are characteristic in having a bifurcate apex of the phallus and the small, basally incised spinose knob of the gnathos. A full description is given by Kaila (2011).

Biology. In Australia E. cynopa feeds on Lepidosperma laterale (Cyperaceae) . It prefers shaded or semishaded microhabitats. The mine is a 4–5 cm long, swollen chamber near the leaf tip. The larva is characteristically ruby-coloured. For further details on morphology, see Kaila (2011).

Remarks. E. cynopa is a common species in eastern Australia in suitable habitats (Kaila 2011). It is the single elachistine species to date known to occur both in Australia and New Caledonia.