Leaf-miner:
The larvae feed on a range of grasses, causing whitish mines on
the blades (UKMoths).
Flat, translucent mine that can either run or down; the width may
vary too, can be as wide as the blade. Frass few, grey, dispersed.
The larva makes several mines (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).
Dirty yellow, grey green above; head brown; prothoracic plate brown
with a narrow spit (Bland, 1996a) (Bladmineerders van Europa).
Pupa: The pupae of moths have visible head appendages, wings and legs which lie in sheaths (see examples).
Adult:
The adult is illustrated in UKMoths.
The species is included in mothdissection.co.uk.
Comments:
Festuca arundinacea is
treated as Schedonorus
arundinacea (Tall Fescue) by Stace (2010).
Hosts in Great Britain and Ireland:
Hosts
elsewhere:
Time
of year - larvae:
Early spring (Bladmineerders van Europa).
Time
of year - adults: Currently unknown.
Distribution
in Great Britain and Ireland: Occurs widely throughout the
British Isles including Anglesey, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Caernarvonshire,
Cambridgeshire, Cheshire, Derbyshire, East Cornwall, East Gloucestershire,
East Kent, East Norfolk, East Suffolk, East Sussex, Flintshire,
Glamorgan, Herefordshire, Hertfordshire, Kincardineshire, Merionethshire,
Middlesex, Montgomeryshire, North Aberdeenshire, North Ebudes, North Essex, North Hampshire, North Somerset, North Wiltshire, Shropshire,
South Aberdeenshire, South Hampshire, South Lancashire, South Wiltshire,
South-west Yorkshire, Stafford, Surrey, Warwickshire, West Cornwall,
West Gloucestershire, West Kent, West Norfolk, West Suffolk, Westmorland and Worcestershire (NBN
Atlas).
Also
recored 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, Danish mainland, European Turkey, French
mainland, Germany, Greek mainland, Hungary, Italian mainland, Norwegian
mainland, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and The Netherlands (Fauna Europaea).
NBN Atlas links to known host species:
British and Irish Parasitoids in Britain and elsewhere: Currently unknown.
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