The leaf and stem mines of British flies and other insects
 

(Coleoptera, Diptera, Hymenoptera and Lepidoptera)

by Brian Pitkin, Willem Ellis, Colin Plant and Rob Edmunds

  

Elachista cinereopunctella (Haworth, 1828)
[Lepidoptera: Elachistidae]

Grey-spotted Dwarf

Tinea cinereopunctella Haworth, 1828
Biselachista cinereopunctella (Haworth, 1828)
Elachista cinereopunctella (Haworth, 1828).

Leaf-miner: Mine generally descending from the leaf tip. The mine may occupy the space between leaf margin and midrib, but may also occupy the entire width of the leaf. Most frass accumulated in the oldest part of the mine. Pupation external; the pupa is attached to the leaf without a cocoon (Bladmineerders van Europa).

Larva: The larvae of moths have a head capsule and chewing mouthparts with opposable mandibles (see video of a gracillarid larva feeding), six thoracic legs and abdominal legs (see examples).

Described by Steuer (1978a). Head and prothoracic shield dark brown. Body yellowish white, with a pair of orange red latero-dorsal length lines; ventrally another such line, medially (Bladmineerders van Europa).

Pupa: The pupae of moths have visible head appendages, wings and legs which lie in sheaths (see examples).

Described by Patocka (1999a), Patocka and Turcáni (2005a) (Bladmineerders van Europa).

Adult: The adult is not illustrated in UKMoths (check for update). The species is included in mothdissection.co.uk.

Hosts in Great Britain and Ireland:

Cyperaceae        
Carex       Pitkin & Plant (as Biselachista)
Carex flacca Glaucous Sedge British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Pitkin & Plant (as Biselachista)
Poaceae        
Deschampsia cespitosa Tufted Hair-grass British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Pitkin & Plant (as Biselachista)

Hosts elsewhere:

Cyperaceae        
Carex digitata Fingered Sedge British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa
Carex ericetorum Rare Spring-sedge British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa
Carex flacca Glaucous Sedge British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa
Carex humilis Rare Spring-sedge British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa
Carex ornithopoda Bird's-foot Sedge British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa
Carex pilosa     Bladmineerders van Europa
Poaceae        
Deschampsia cespitosa Tufted Hair-grass British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa
Melica       Bladmineerders van Europa
Sesleria caerulea Blue Moor-grass British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa

Time of year - larvae: Larva overwinters in the mine (Bladmineerders van Europa).

Time of year - adults: Currently unknown.

Distribution in Great Britain and Ireland: Britain including Breconshire, Caernarvonshire, Cambridgeshire, Denbighshire, Dorset, Dorset, Durham, Flintshire, Herefordshire, Hertfordshire, Linlithgow, North-east Yorkshire, Shropshire, Surrey, West Gloucestershire, West Norfolk and Worcestershire (NBN Atlas).

Also recorded in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland (Fauna Europaea and National Biodiversity Data Centre Map).

Distribution elsewhere: Widespread in continental Europe including Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Estonia, French mainland, Germany, Italian mainland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norwegian mainland, Poland, Russia - North, Slovakia, Sweden and Switzerland (Fauna Europaea).

NBN Atlas links to known host species:

Carex digitata, Carex ericetorum, Carex flacca, Carex humilis, Carex ornithopoda, Deschampsia cespitosa, Sesleria caerulea

British and Irish Parasitoids in Britain and elsewhere: Currently unknown.

External links: Search the internet:

Belgian Lepidoptera
Biodiversity Heritage Library
Bladmineerders van Europa
British leafminers
Encyclopedia of Life
Fauna Europaea
NBN Atlas
NHM UK Checklist, as Biselachista cinereopunctella
UKMoths

 Find using Google
Find using Google Scholar
Find images using Google

XHTML Validator
 Last updated 17-Oct-2019  Brian Pitkin Top of page