Elachista consortella [Lepidoptera: Elachistidae] in Leaf and stem mines of British flies and other insects

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 consortella Stainton, 1851
[Lepidoptera: Elachistidae]

Field Dwarf

Elachista consortella Stainton, 1851. Suppl. Cat. Brit. Tin.: 9
Cosmiotes consortella (Stainton, 1851).

Leaf-miner: Details unknown (British leafminers; 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.

Hosts in Great Britain and Ireland:

Poaceae
Poa	annua	Annual Meadow-grass	British leafminers (as Cosmiotes)
Poa	annua	Annual Meadow-grass	Pitkin & Plant (as Cosmiotes)

Hosts elsewhere:

Poaceae
Cynodon	dactylon	Bermuda grass	Bladmineerders van Europa
Poa	annua	Annual Meadow-grass	Bladmineerders van Europa

Time of year - larvae: April to August British leafminers.

Time of year - adults: Currently unknown.

Distribution in Great Britain and Ireland: Occurs scattered throughout the UK, except N.Scotland and Ireland (British leafminers), including Bedfordshire, Cardiganshire, Dorset, East Cornwall, East Suffolk, Huntingdonshire, Middlesex, Shropshire, South Devon, Southe-west Yorkshire, Warwickshire and West Cornwall (NBN Atlas).

Found in well drained grassland British leafminers.

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

Distribution elsewhere: Widespread in continental Europe including Austria, Czech Republic, Danish mainland, Estonia, French mainland, Germany, Italian mainland, Lithuania, Norwegian mainland, Portuguese mainland, Romania, Sardinia, Sicily, Slovakia, Spanish mainland, Sweden, Switzerland, The Netherlands and Ukraine (Fauna Europaea).

NBN Atlas links to known host species:

Cynodon dactylon, Poa annua

British and Irish Parasitoids in Britain and elsewhere: Currently unknown.


External links:	Search the internet:
Belgian Lepidoptera Biodiversity Heritage Library Bladmineerders van Europa British leafminers, as Cosmiotes consortella Encyclopedia of Life Fauna Europaea NBN Atlas NHM UK Checklist, as Cosmiotes consortella UKMoths	Find using Google Find using Google Scholar Find images using Google


	Last updated 17-Oct-2019 Brian Pitkin