Elachista albifrontella 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 from Fennoscandia

Fennoscandia

Fennoscandia and Fenno-Scandinavia are geographic and geological terms used to describe the Scandinavian Peninsula, the Kola Peninsula, Karelia and Finland...

 and northern Russia

Russia

Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...

 to the Pyrenees

Pyrenees

The Pyrenees is a range of mountains in southwest Europe that forms a natural border between France and Spain...

 and Italy

Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

 and from Ireland

Ireland

Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...

 to Romania

Romania

Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...

.
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 8-9 mm. Adults have a whitish forehead. They are on wing from June to July in one generation per year.

The larvae feed on Agrostis canina

Agrostis canina

Agrostis canina, known as brown bent or velvet bent, is a species of grass.-Description:Agrostis canina is a perennial plant, with stolons but no rhizomes, and culms which grow to a height of up to . It is frequently confused with Agrostis vinealis Agrostis canina, known as brown bent or velvet...

, Alopecurus pratensis, Arrhenatherum elatius

Arrhenatherum elatius

-Introduction:Arrhenatherum elatius, with the common names false oat-grass, tall oat-grass, tall meadow oat, onion couch and tuber oat-grass, is a perennial species of grass, common in the temperate regions of Europe....

, Avena

Avena

The oats are a genus of 10-15 species of true grasses . They are native to Europe, Asia and northwest Africa. One species is widely cultivated elsewhere, and several have become naturalized in many parts of the world...

, Avenula pubescens, Brachypodium sylvaticum, Bromus

Bromus

Bromus is a large genus of the grass family . Estimates in the scientific literature of the number of species have ranged from 100 to 400, but plant taxonomists currently recognize around 160–170 species...

, Calamagrostis arundinacea

Calamagrostis arundinacea

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

, Calamagrostis epigejos, Dactylis glomerata

Dactylis glomerata

Dactylis glomerata, Cock's-foot and orchard grass, is a common species of grass in the genus Dactylis, native throughout most of Europe, temperate Asia, and northern Africa.-Distribution:...

, Deschampsia cespitosa, Elymus repens

Elymus repens

Elymus repens Gould is a very common perennial species of grass native to most of Europe, Asia, and northwest Africa...

, Festuca rubra

Festuca rubra

Festuca rubra is a species of grass known by the common name red fescue. It is found worldwide and can tolerate many habitats and climates; it generally needs full sun to thrive...

, Holcus lanatus, Holcus mollis, Koeleria macrantha

Koeleria macrantha

Koeleria macrantha is a species of grass known by the common name prairie Junegrass. In the UK it is known as Crested hair-grass. It is native to much of North America, from Alaska to California, from northern Mexico to the Eastern United States...

, Luzula pilosa

Luzula pilosa

Luzula pilosa is a species of flowering plant in the rush family....

, 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:*...

, Phalaris arundinacea, 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,...

, Poa pratensis, Poa trivialis

Poa trivialis

Poa trivialis , is a perennial plant, and is regarded in the USA as an ornamental plant and is of the Poa family.-Description:...

, Trisetum

Trisetum

Trisetum is a genus of grass in the Poaceae family.-Species:* There are about 75 species, listed in List of Trisetum species.-External links:*...

and Triticum species. 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 full depth blotch mine which descends from the leaf tip. It occupies half to the entire width of the blade. Larvae may exit the mine and start again elsewhere. The frass is deposited in a narrow central line with a greyish brown colour. Larvae can be found from September to May. Pupation takes place outside of the mine.