Elachista maculicerusella
Encyclopedia
Elachista maculicerusella is a moth
of the Elachistidae
family. It is found in Europe
.
The wingspan
is 10-12 mm. The moth flies from May to August depending on the location.
The larvae mines the stems of Phalaris arundiacea, Phragmites australis and other grasses on occasion. The mine starts at the leaf tip and descends as an irregular blotch mine. The mine is flat and quite shallow. The frass
is initially deposited in the oldest, upper part of the mine, but later in strings. The larva may leave the mine and restart elsewhere. Pupation takes place outside of the mine.
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 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...
.
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 10-12 mm. The moth flies from May to August depending on the location.
The larvae mines the stems of Phalaris arundiacea, Phragmites australis and other grasses on occasion. The mine starts at the leaf tip and descends as an irregular blotch mine. The mine is flat and quite shallow. 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 initially deposited in the oldest, upper part of the mine, but later in strings. The larva may leave the mine and restart elsewhere. Pupation takes place outside of the mine.