Biology:Elachista obliquella

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Short description: Species of moth

Elachista obliquella
Elachista obliquella.JPG
Scientific classification edit
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Elachistidae
Genus: Elachista
Species:
E. obliquella
Binomial name
Elachista obliquella
Stainton, 1854
Synonyms
  • Biselachista obliquella Traugott-Olsen & Nielsen, 1977
  • Cosmiotes obliquella Clemens, 1860

Elachista obliquella is a moth of the family Elachistidae found in Europe.

Description

The wingspan is 8–10 millimetres (0.31–0.39 in).The head is ochreous- whitish. Antennae whitish-ringed. Forewings light grey, irrorated with blackish ;a nearly straight central whitish fascia, sometimes ochreous tinged,in male slenderer and sometimes interrupted ; tips of apical cilia whitish. Hindwings are grey. The larva is grey-greenish ; head pale brown; 2 with two brown spots.[1]

Biology

Adults are on wing from April to July and again in August in two generations per year.[2]

The larvae feed on tor-grass (Brachypodium pinnatum), false-brome (Brachypodium sylvaticum), Bromopsis erecta, Bromopsis ramosa, reed grass (Calamagrostis species), acute sedge (Carex acuta), Carex hudsonii, Carex ornithopoda, Carex spicata, Carex sylvatica, cock's-foot (Dactylis glomerata), tufted hairgrass (Deschampsia cespitosa), fescue (Festuca species), wood-barley (Hordelymus europaeus), crested hair-grass (Koeleria macrantha), melic (Melica species) milletgrass {Milium species) and broad-leaved meadow-grass (Poa chaixii). They mine the leaves of their host plant. The mine starts as a narrow, brown, ascending corridor and most of the frass is deposited in the basal part. Later, the larva leaves this mine and makes a new mine in another leaf. This mine is an elongated, somewhat inflated blotch which occupies nearly the entire width of the leaf.[3] They are dull grey green with a light brown head. Larvae can be found from autumn to mid-May and again in July.

Distribution

It is found from Scandinavia to the Iberian Peninsula, Italy and Romania and from Ireland to Ukraine . It is also found in Russia .

References

  1. Meyrick, E., 1895 A Handbook of British Lepidoptera MacMillan, London pdf This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain. Keys and description
  2. "Elachista obliquella". UK Moths. https://ukmoths.org.uk/show.php?bf=617. 
  3. "Elachista obliquella Stainton, 1854". Bladmineerders.nl. http://www.bladmineerders.nl/minersf/lepidopteramin/elachista/obliquella/obliquella.htm. 

Wikidata ☰ Q5352880 entry