Elachista rudectella
Encyclopedia
Elachista rudectella is a moth
of the Elachistidae
family. It is found from Germany
to Italy
, Greece
and Romania
. It is also found in Russia
.
The larvae feed on Phleum phleoides
. They mine
the leaves of their host plant. The mine is large and opaque and is found in the distal half of the leaf. It occupies the entire width of the leaf and runs upwards to the tip. A single larva mines several leaves. Pupation takes place outside of the mine. They are dark grey with a brownish head. Larvae can be found in April.
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 Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
to 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...
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
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 is also found in 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...
.
The larvae feed on Phleum phleoides
Phleum phleoides
Phleum phleoides is a perennial grass native to most of Europe, North Africa, and temperate Asia. Culms are erect and 10–70 cm in height; leaf blades are 5–12 cm long by 1–3.5 mm wide.- References and 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 is large and opaque and is found in the distal half of the leaf. It occupies the entire width of the leaf and runs upwards to the tip. A single larva mines several leaves. Pupation takes place outside of the mine. They are dark grey with a brownish head. Larvae can be found in April.