Elachista regificella [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 regificella Sircom, 1849
[Lepidoptera: Elachistidae]

Wood-rush Dwarf

Elachista regificella Sircom, 1849. Zoologist 7: App. xlii.

Leaf-miner: The mine formed is long, inflated and puckers the leaf surface. The larva often swaps leaves (British leafminers).

Oviposition generally at the underside of the top half of the leaf. Between September and the end of February a very narrow mine is made, not longer than 3 cm, parallel to the midrib. The mine then suddenly widens to almost the full width of the leaf. The frass is concentrated in the transition area of the two mine types. In the broad part folds develop. Larvae can make a new mine, obviously without the initial part. Here the frass in concentrated around the entrance hole. Pupation outside the mine (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).

Head pale honey coloured, mouth-parts a little darker; prothorcic and anal plates and thoracic legs likewise; body greenish black (Langmaid, 2007a) (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:

Juncaceae
Luzula	pilosa	Hairy Wood-rush	Pitkin & Plant
Luzula	sylvatica	Great Wood-rush	British leafminers
Luzula	sylvatica	Great Wood-rush	Pitkin & Plant

Hosts elsewhere:

Juncaceae
Luzula	sylvatica	Great Wood-rush		Bladmineerders van Europa

Time of year - larvae: September - June (British leafminers).

Time of year - adults: Currently unknown.

Distribution in Great Britain and Ireland: Occurs in South West England, from Monmouth in Wales and the East of Scotland (British leafminers) including Caernarvonshire, Denbighshire, Derbyshire, Dorset, East Cornwall, Easterness, Herefordshire, Hertfordshire, Kincardineshire, Leicestershire, Merionethshire, Monmouthshire, North Aberdeenshire, North Devon, Northamptonshire, Pembrokeshire, South Aberdeenshire, South Hampshire, South Northumberland, Stafford, West Cornwall, West Gloucestershire, West Norfolk, West Suffolk and Worcestershire (NBN Atlas).

Also recorded in the Republic of Ireland (National Biodiversity Data Centre Map).

Distribution elsewhere: Continental Europe including Romania (Fauna Europaea), Germany and The Netherlands (Bladmineerders van Europa).

NBN Atlas links to known host species:

Luzula pilosa, Luzula sylvatica

British and Irish Parasitoids in Britain and elsewhere:

Ichneumonoidea - Links to species no longer available
Pholetesor circumscriptus (Nees, 1834)	Braconidae: Microgastrinae
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	Find using Google Find using Google Scholar Find images using Google


	Last updated 18-Oct-2019 Brian Pitkin