The leaf and stem mines of British flies and other insects
 

(Coleoptera, Diptera, Hymenoptera and Lepidoptera)

by Brian Pitkin, Willem Ellis, Colin Plant and Rob Edmunds

  

Elachista adscitella Stainton, 1851
[Lepidoptera: Elachistidae]

Oblique-barred Dwarf

Elachista adscitella Stainton, 1851. Cat. Suppl.: 10.

Leaf-miner: Tufted hair-grass and blue moor-grass are the main foodplants, the larvae forming gallery mines (UKMoths).

Gradually widening corridor, running either upwards or down. All frass is deposited in the earliest part of the mine. Often 2-3 larvae in a mine; in grasses with broad leaves sometimes more than one mine in a leaf (Bladmineerders van Europa).

Larva: The larvae of moths have a head capsule and chewing mouthparts with opposable mandibles (see video of a gracillarid larva feeding), six thoracic legs and abdominal legs (see examples).

The larva is described in Bladmineerders van Europa.

Pupa: The pupae of moths have visible head appendages, wings and legs which lie in sheaths (see examples).

Adult: The adult is illustrated in UKMoths. The species is included in mothdissection.co.uk.

Comments: Festuca gigantea is treated as Schedonorus gigantea (Giant Fescue) by Stace (2010).

Hosts in Great Britain and Ireland:

Poaceae        
Deschampsia cespitosa Tufted Hair-grass British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Pitkin & Plant
Deschampsia cespitosa Tufted Hair-grass British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. UKMoths
Sesleria caerulea Tufted Hair-grass British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. UKMoths

Hosts elsewhere:

Cyperaceae        
Carex elata Tufted-sedge British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa
Poaceae        
Brachypodium sylvaticum False Brome British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa
Calamagrostis arundinacea     Bladmineerders van Europa
Deschampsia cespitosa Tufted Hair-grass British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Belgian Lepidoptera
Deschampsia cespitosa Tufted Hair-grass British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa
Deschampsia flexuosa Wavy Hair-grass   Bladmineerders van Europa
Elymus caninus Bearded Couch British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa
Festuca altissima Wood Fescue British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa
Festuca drymeja     Bladmineerders van Europa
Festuca gigantea Giant Fescue British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa
Melica nutans Mountain Melick British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa
Melica uniflora Wood Melick British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa
Milium effusum Wood Millet British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa
Phleum       Bladmineerders van Europa
Poa chaixii Broad-leaved Meadow-grass   Bladmineerders van Europa
Poa remota     Bladmineerders van Europa
Sesleria argentea     Bladmineerders van Europa
Sesleria caerulea Blue Moor-grass British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Belgian Lepidoptera
Sesleria caerulea Blue Moor-grass British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al.

Bladmineerders van Europa, as albicans
Sesleria caerulea Blue Moor-grass British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa
Sesleria sadlerana     Bladmineerders van Europa

Time of year - larvae: The larva of the first generation hibernates in the mine and makes a new mine in early spring. Larvae from October to end-May, and mid-June to end-July (Bladmineerders van Europa).

Time of year - adults: There are two generations flying from May to July and again in August (UKMoths).

Distribution in Great Britain and Ireland: Occurs in woodland habitats in England, Wales and locally in Ireland (UKMoths); Bedfordshire, Derbyshire, Durham, Flintshire, Herefordshire, Huntingdonshire, North Somerset, South Northumberland, Shropshire, Stafford, West Lancashire, Westmorland and Worcestershire (NBN Atlas) and the Channel Is. (Fauna Europaea).

Also recorded in the Republic of Ireland (Fauna Europaea).

Distribution elsewhere: Widespread in continental Europe including Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Danish mainland, Estonia, European Turkey, Finland, French mainland, Germany, Hungary, Italian mainland, Latvia, Norwegian mainland, Poland, Romania, Russia - Central, North and Northwest, Slovakia, Spanish mainland, Sweden and Switzerland (Fauna Europaea).

NBN Atlas links to known host species:

Brachypodium sylvaticum, Carex elata, Deschampsia cespitosa, Deschampsia flexuosa, Elymus caninus, Festuca altissima, Festuca gigantea (= Schedonorus gigantea), Melica nutans, Melica uniflora, Milium effusum, Poa chaixii, Sesleria caerulea

British and Irish Parasitoids in Britain and elsewhere:

Chalcidoidea  
Cirrospilus vittatus Walker, 1838 Eulophidae: Eulophinae
Ichneumonoidea - Links to species no longer available  
Pholetesor viminetorum (Wesmael, 1837) Braconidae: Microgastrinae

External links: Search the internet:

Belgian Lepidoptera
Biodiversity Heritage Library
Bladmineerders van Europa
British leafminers
Encyclopedia of Life
Fauna Europaea
NBN Atlas
NHM UK Checklist
UKMoths

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 Last updated 17-Oct-2019  Brian Pitkin Top of page