Elachista compsa
Encyclopedia
Elachista compsa is a moth
of the Elachistidae
family. It is found from Fennoscandia
and the Baltic region
to Germany
, Poland
to Italy
.
The wingspan
is 8-11 mm.
The larvae feed on Deschampsia cespitosa and Melica nutans uniflora
. They mine
the leaves of their host plant. The mine starts as a narrow gallery that ascends from the lower third of the leaf up to the leaf tip, where it reverses direction. After changing direction, the mine widens and finally takes up the full width of the leaf. The mine it is filled with a string of frass
grains. Pupation takes place outside of the mine. Larvae can be found from October to December. They then overwinter within the mine. In spring, they vacate the mine to pupate. There is a second generation in July. The larvae are yellow at first and bone coloured later. They have a light brown head.
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 Fennoscandia
Fennoscandia
Fennoscandia and Fenno-Scandinavia are geographic and geological terms used to describe the Scandinavian Peninsula, the Kola Peninsula, Karelia and Finland...
and the Baltic region
Baltic region
The terms Baltic region, Baltic Rim countries, and Baltic Rim refer to slightly different combinations of countries in the general area surrounding the Baltic Sea.- Etymology :...
to 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...
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
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...
.
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 8-11 mm.
The larvae feed on Deschampsia cespitosa and Melica nutans uniflora
Melica nutans
Melica nutans is a bunchgrass species in the Poaceae family, native to Eurasian forests....
. 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 starts as a narrow gallery that ascends from the lower third of the leaf up to the leaf tip, where it reverses direction. After changing direction, the mine widens and finally takes up the full width of the leaf. The mine it is filled with a string of 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...
grains. Pupation takes place outside of the mine. Larvae can be found from October to December. They then overwinter within the mine. In spring, they vacate the mine to pupate. There is a second generation in July. The larvae are yellow at first and bone coloured later. They have a light brown head.