Elachista adscitella is a moth

Moth

A moth is an insect closely related to the butterfly, both being of the order Lepidoptera. Moths form the majority of this order; there are thought to be 150,000 to 250,000 different species of moth , with thousands of species yet to be described...

 of the Elachistidae

Elachistidae

| image = Elachista rufocinerea 2.jpg| image_width = 240px| image_caption = Adult Elachista rufocinerea,demonstrating its tiny size versus an aphid and a spider mite | regnum = Animalia| phylum = Arthropoda| classis = Insecta...

 family. It is found in all of Europe

Europe

Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

, except Iceland

Iceland

Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...

, the Balkan Peninsula, Ukraine

Ukraine

Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...

 and Lithuania

Lithuania

Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...

.
The wingspan

Wingspan

The wingspan of an airplane or a bird, is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777 has a wingspan of about ; and a Wandering Albatross caught in 1965 had a wingspan of , the official record for a living bird.The term wingspan, more technically extent, is...

 is 9-11 mm. Adults are pale grey with a whitish head and a white transverse line across the center of the forewing. They are on wing from May to July and again in August in two generations per year.

The larvae feed on Brachypodium sylvaticum, Carex elata, Calamagrostis arundinacea

Calamagrostis arundinacea

Calamagrostis arundinacea Roth is a species of bunch grass in the Poaceae family, native to Eurasia....

, Deschampsia cespitosa, Deschampsia flexuosa

Deschampsia flexuosa

-Introduction:Deschampsia flexuosa Trin. or Wavy Hair-grass is a species of bunchgrass in the Poaceae family with a Holarctic distribution.-Habitat and distribution:...

, Elymus caninus, Festuca altissima, Festuca drymeja, Festuca gigantean, Melica nutans

Melica nutans

Melica nutans is a bunchgrass species in the Poaceae family, native to Eurasian forests....

, Melica uniflora, Milium effusum

Milium effusum

Milium effusum L. is a species of grass in the Poaceae family, native to damp forests of the Holarctic Kingdom.-External links:*...

, Phleum

Phleum

Phleum is a genus of about 15 species of annual and perennial grasses. The genus is native to Europe, Asia and north Africa, with one species Phleum (catstail or timothy-grass) is a genus of about 15 species of annual and perennial grasses. The genus is native to Europe, Asia and north Africa,...

species, Poa chaixii

Poa chaixii

Poa chaixii is a species of perennial grass native to Europe and temperate Asia. Its culms are erect or ascending, ranging from 60–120 cm long, with leaf-blades flat or conduplicate, from 15–45 cm long by 5–10 mm wide.- References :* * * * J. E. Gilibert, Fl. Delph. 1:7. 1788...

, Poa remota, Sesleria albicans, Sesleria argentea, Sesleria caerulea

Sesleria caerulea

Sesleria caerulea is a species of perennial grass in the Poaceae family, native to Europe.- References :* * * Animadv. bot. spec. alt. 2:18, t. 6, fig. 3-5. 1764...

and Sesleria sadlerana. They mine

Leaf miner

Leaf miner is a term used to describe the larvae of many different species of insect which live in and eat the leaf tissue of plants. The vast majority of leaf-mining insects are moths , sawflies and flies , though some beetles and wasps also exhibit this behavior.Like Woodboring beetles, leaf...

 the leaves of their host plant. The mine consists of a gradullay widening corridor. It may run up- or down wards. The frass

Frass

Frass is the fine powdery material phytophagous insects pass as waste after digesting plant parts. It causes plants to excrete chitinase due to high chitin levels, it is a natural bloom stimulant, and has high nutrient levels. Frass is known to have abundant amoeba, beneficial bacteria, and fungi...

is deposited in the first part of the mine. Two to three larvae may occupy a single mine and more than one mine may be found in a single leaf. Larvae can be found from October to the end of May and from mid June to the end of July. Larvae of the first generation hibernate inside the mine.