Elachista obliquella

Elachista obliquella is a moth of the family Elachistidae found in Europe.

Elachista obliquella
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Arthropoda
Class:
Insecta
Order:
Lepidoptera
Family:
Elachistidae
Genus:
Elachista
Species:
E. obliquella
Binomial name
Elachista obliquella
Stainton, 1854
Synonyms
  • Biselachista obliquella Traugott-Olsen & Nielsen, 1977
  • Cosmiotes obliquella Clemens, 1860

Description

The wingspan is 8–10 millimetres (0.31–0.39 in).The head is ochreous- whitish. Antennae whitish-ringed. Forewings light grey, irrorated with blackish ;a nearly straight central whitish fascia, sometimes ochreous tinged,in male slenderer and sometimes interrupted ; tips of apical cilia whitish. Hindwings are grey. The larva is grey-greenish ; head pale brown; 2 with two brown spots.[1]

Biology

Adults are on wing from April to July and again in August in two generations per year.[2]

The larvae feed on tor-grass (Brachypodium pinnatum), false-brome (Brachypodium sylvaticum), Bromopsis erecta, Bromopsis ramosa, reed grass (Calamagrostis species), acute sedge (Carex acuta), Carex hudsonii, Carex ornithopoda, Carex spicata, Carex sylvatica, cock's-foot (Dactylis glomerata), tufted hairgrass (Deschampsia cespitosa), fescue (Festuca species), wood-barley (Hordelymus europaeus), crested hair-grass (Koeleria macrantha), melic (Melica species) milletgrass {Milium species) and broad-leaved meadow-grass (Poa chaixii). They mine the leaves of their host plant. The mine starts as a narrow, brown, ascending corridor and most of the frass is deposited in the basal part. Later, the larva leaves this mine and makes a new mine in another leaf. This mine is an elongated, somewhat inflated blotch which occupies nearly the entire width of the leaf.[3] They are dull grey green with a light brown head. Larvae can be found from autumn to mid-May and again in July.

Distribution

It is found from Scandinavia to the Iberian Peninsula, Italy and Romania and from Ireland to Ukraine. It is also found in Russia.

References
  1. Meyrick, E., 1895 A Handbook of British Lepidoptera MacMillan, London pdf This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain. Keys and description
  2. "Elachista obliquella". UK Moths. Retrieved 21 February 2020.
  3. "Elachista obliquella Stainton, 1854". Bladmineerders.nl. Archived from the original on September 27, 2012. Retrieved September 12, 2011.


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