Elachista unifasciella [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 unifasciella (Haworth, 1828)
[Lepidoptera: Elachistidae]

Narrow-barred Dwarf

Tinea unifasciella Haworth, 1828
Elachista unifasciella (Haworth, 1828).

Leaf-miner: In autumn the larva makes a long, somewhat blistered, slightly transparent corridor. In spring it mines the basal leaves that lie on the ground. These mines are swollen, clouded green, opaque, and the mined tips of the leaves are puckered and shrunken, filled with frass (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).

Rather thick, light yellow; head light brown. See Steuer (1973a) for an illustration of the characteristic sclerites in the pronotum, prosternum, and anal shield (Bladmineerders van Europa).

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

See Patocka (1999a) and Patocka and Turcani (2005a) (Bladmineerders van Europa).

Adult: The adult is not illustrated in UKMoths (check for update). The species is included in mothdissection.co.uk.

Hosts in Great Britain and Ireland:

Poaceae
Brachypodium	sylvaticum	False Brome	Pitkin & Plant
Dactylis	glomerata	Cock's-foot	Pitkin & Plant

Hosts elsewhere:

Poaceae
Avenula	pubescens	Downy Oat-grass	Bladmineerders van Europa
Brachypodium	sylvaticum	False Brome	Bladmineerders van Europa
Dactylis	glomerata	Cock's-foot	Bladmineerders van Europa
Holcus	mollis	Creeping Soft-grass	Bladmineerders van Europa
Milium	effusum	Wood Millet	Bladmineerders van Europa

Time of year - larvae: From early spring to the end of May (Bladmineerders van Europa).

Time of year - adults: Currently unknown.

Distribution in Great Britain and Ireland: Britain including Durham, North Hampshire, South Essex and South Northumberland (NBN Atlas).

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

NBN Atlas links to known host species:

Brachypodium sylvaticum, Dactylis glomerata, Avenula pubescens, Holcus mollis, Milium effusum

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 Encyclopedia of Life Fauna Europaea NBN Atlas NHM UK Checklist UKMoths	Find using Google Find using Google Scholar Find images using Google


	Last updated 18-Oct-2019 Brian Pitkin