Elachista diederichsiella
Encyclopedia
Elachista diederichsiella is a moth
of the Elachistidae
family. It is found from Fennoscandia
and northern Russia
to the Pyrenees
, Alps
and Carpathian Mountains
, and from France
to central Russia. It is also found in North America
.
The wingspan
is 9-11 mm. Adults are on wing from June to August.
The larvae feed on Holcus mollis and Milium effusum
. They mine
the leaves of their host plant. The mine descends from just below the leaf tip. It starts as a narrow corridor, that widens abruptly into a broad, whitish, strongly inflated blotch. Two to four larvae may be found in single a mine. The frass
is distributed irregularly in the entire mine. Pupation takes place outside of the mine. Larvae can be found from April to May. They are dirty yellowish green with a dark brown head.
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...
, Alps
Alps
The Alps is one of the great mountain range systems of Europe, stretching from Austria and Slovenia in the east through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany to France in the west....
and Carpathian Mountains
Carpathian Mountains
The Carpathian Mountains or Carpathians are a range of mountains forming an arc roughly long across Central and Eastern Europe, making them the second-longest mountain range in Europe...
, and from France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
to central Russia. It is also found in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
.
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 on wing from June to August.
The larvae feed on Holcus mollis and 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:*...
. 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 descends from just below the leaf tip. It starts as a narrow corridor, that widens abruptly into a broad, whitish, strongly inflated blotch. Two to four larvae may be found in single a mine. 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 distributed irregularly in the entire mine. Pupation takes place outside of the mine. Larvae can be found from April to May. They are dirty yellowish green with a dark brown head.