''Plectophila electella'' is a

moth Moths are a group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not Butterfly, butterflies. They were previously classified as suborder Heterocera, but the group is Paraphyly, paraphyletic with respect to butterflies (s ...

in the family

Xyloryctidae Xyloryctidae is a family of moths contained within the superfamily Gelechioidea described by Edward Meyrick in 1890. Most genera are found in the Indo-Australian region. While many of these moths are tiny, some members of the family grow to a wing ...

. It was described by Francis Walker in 1864. It is found in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

, where it has been recorded from

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...

and

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which in ...

. The

wingspan The wingspan (or just span) of a bird or an airplane is the distance from one wingtip to the opposite wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777–200 has a wingspan of , and a wandering albatross (''Diomedea exulans'') caught in 1965 had a wingsp ...

is 15–16 mm. The forewings are silvery white with bright deep ochreous-brown markings, partially margined with light ochreous-yellowish scales and with a straight narrow fascia from the base of the costa to one-fourth of the inner margin. There is a streak from the upper extremity of this beneath the costa, bent up to the costa before the middle, and continued along the costa to four-fifths. A moderate irregular fascia from this streak before it reaches the costa to the inner margin at three-fifths where it runs into a thick streak, attenuated at the extremities, along the inner margin from before the middle to the anal angle. There is a moderate fascia from the costa at three-fifths towards the anal angle but not quite reaching it, connected with the preceding fascia by a slender line in the middle. A subapical spot, including a white dot on the hindmargin, is sometimes connected beneath with the lower extremity of the preceding fascia. The hindwings are grey, slightly ochreous tinged.Xyloryctine Moths of Australia

References

Plectophila Moths described in 1864 {{Xyloryctidae-stub