Elachista trapeziella
Encyclopedia
Elachista trapeziella is a moth
of the Elachistidae
family. It is found from Fennoscandia
to the Pyrenees
and Italy
and from Ireland
to Slovakia
.
The wingspan
is 8-10 mm. Adults are on wing from June to August.
The larvae feed on Luzula luzuloides, Luzula pilosa
and Luzula sylvatica
. They mine
the leaves of their host plant. At first, the larvae creates a narrow corridor which runs parallel to the leaf venation, although it may change direction two to three times. Later, this gallery abruptly changes into an elongate blotch, generally destroying the original gallery. Larvae may vacate the mine and restart elsewhere. Pupation takes place outside of the mine. They are pink with three cream-coloured length lines and a black head. Larvae can be found from autumn to April or June of the following year.
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...
to the Pyrenees
Pyrenees
The Pyrenees is a range of mountains in southwest Europe that forms a natural border between France and Spain...
and 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 from Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
to Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
.
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 8-10 mm. Adults are on wing from June to August.
The larvae feed on Luzula luzuloides, Luzula pilosa
Luzula pilosa
Luzula pilosa is a species of flowering plant in the rush family....
and Luzula sylvatica
Luzula sylvatica
Luzula sylvatica, the great wood-rush, is a plant of the genus Luzula....
. 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. At first, the larvae creates a narrow corridor which runs parallel to the leaf venation, although it may change direction two to three times. Later, this gallery abruptly changes into an elongate blotch, generally destroying the original gallery. Larvae may vacate the mine and restart elsewhere. Pupation takes place outside of the mine. They are pink with three cream-coloured length lines and a black head. Larvae can be found from autumn to April or June of the following year.