Elachista regificella
Encyclopedia
Elachista regificella is a moth
of the Elachistidae
family. It is found in Great Britain
and Romania
. It might also occur in the Netherlands
.
The wingspan
is about 8 mm. Adults are on wing in July in one generation per year.
The larvae feed on Luzula sylvatica
. They mine
the leaves of their host plant. Young larvae create a very narrow mine running parallel to the midrib. The mine then suddenly widens to almost the full width of the leaf. The frass
is deposited in the transition area between the mine types. Pupation takes place outside of the mine. They are greenish black with a pale honey coloured head. Larvae can be found from autumn to mid June of the following year.
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 Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
and 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...
. It might also occur in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
.
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 about 8 mm. Adults are on wing in July in one generation per year.
The larvae feed on Luzula sylvatica
Luzula sylvatica
Luzula sylvatica, the great wood-rush, is a plant of the genus Luzula....
. 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. Young larvae create a very narrow mine running parallel to the midrib. The mine then suddenly widens to almost the full width of the leaf. 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 transition area between the mine types. Pupation takes place outside of the mine. They are greenish black with a pale honey coloured head. Larvae can be found from autumn to mid June of the following year.