Elachista bedellella

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

Elachista bedellella
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukarya
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Elachistidae
Genus:	Elachista
Species:	E. bedellella
Binomial name
Elachista bedellella (Sircom, 1848)[1]
Synonyms
Microsetia bedellella Sircom, 1848

Description

The wingspan is 7–8 millimetres (0.28–0.31 in). Adults are on wing from May to June and again in August in two generations per year.[2]

The larvae feed on various species of grasses, including Arrhenatherum elatius, Avena, Avenula pratensis, Festuca ovina, Phleum, Poa nemoralis and Poa trivialis. They mine the leaves of their host plant. The mine has the form of a blotch in the leaf tip. A single larva may mine two to three leaves.[3] Larvae can be found from September to the end of April and again (after overwintering within the mine) from June to July. Young larvae are yellowish white with a light brown head, while the body becomes grey green when they are full-grown.

Distribution

It is found from Scandinavia to the Iberian Peninsula, Italy and Bulgaria and from Great Britain to Russia.

References

1. "Elachista (Aphelosetia) bedellella (Sircom, 1848)". Fauna Europaea. Retrieved 19 February 2020.
2. "38.010 [B&F: 0616] Elachista bedellella (Sircom, 1848)". Hants Moths. Retrieved 19 February 2020.
3. "Elachista bedellella (Sircom, 1848)". Bladmineerders.nl. Archived from the original on November 3, 2013. Retrieved November 1, 2013.

Mined leaf blades of Helictotrichon pratense

Larva