Microcolona characta

Microcolona characta is a moth in the family Elachistidae. It was described by Meyrick in 1897. It is found in New Zealand and Australia, where it has been recorded from New South Wales.[1]

Microcolona characta
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Elachistidae
Genus:	Microcolona
Species:	M. characta
Binomial name
Microcolona characta Meyrick, 1897

The wingspan is 9–11 mm. The forewings are ochreous-fuscous, more or less irrorated irregularly with dark fuscous, sometimes mixed with whitish towards the dorsum anteriorly, and towards the termen and costa posteriorly. Sometimes, there is a blackish costal mark near the base. There is a tuft of ochreous and black scales beneath the fold and a raised black white-edged elongate dot in the disc somewhat before the middle, as well as a blackish raised dot beneath the fold somewhat beyond this. There is also an irregular black, sometimes whitish-edged, raised dot in the disc and a blackish spot on the costa before this, preceded by a pale spot. There are two or three irregularly placed undefined dark fuscous spots towards the apex. The hindwings are fuscous.[2]

References

1. Beccaloni, G.; Scoble, M.; Kitching, I.; Simonsen, T.; Robinson, G.; Pitkin, B.; Hine, A.; Lyal, C., eds. (2003). "Microcolona characta". The Global Lepidoptera Names Index. Natural History Museum. Retrieved May 26, 2018.
2. Descriptions of Australian Microlepidoptera. XVII. Elachistidae