Elachista martinii
Encyclopedia
Elachista martinii is a moth
of the Elachistidae
family. It is found from Germany
and Latvia
to Italy
and Greece
.
The larvae feed on Carex humilis. They mine
the leaves of their host plant. The mine generally descends from the leaf tip down, but sometimes ascends from half way up the leaf. The larvae leaves the mine around April and starts a new similar mine in another leaf. Most frass
is deposited in the oldest part of the mine. Pupation takes place outside of the mine at the base of the mined leaf. They are yellow with a nearly colourless head. Larvae can be found from September to June.
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...
and Latvia
Latvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
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...
and Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
.
The larvae feed on Carex humilis. 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 generally descends from the leaf tip down, but sometimes ascends from half way up the leaf. The larvae leaves the mine around April and starts a new similar mine in another leaf. Most 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 oldest part of the mine. Pupation takes place outside of the mine at the base of the mined leaf. They are yellow with a nearly colourless head. Larvae can be found from September to June.