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 kilmunella Stainton, 1849
[Lepidoptera: Elachistidae]

Moorland Dwarf


Elachista kilmunella Stainton, 1849. Cat. Brit. Tin. Pteroph.: 25.


? Leaf-miner: Details unknown.

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).

Yellowish grey (Bland, 1996a).

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

See Traugott-Olsen and Nielsen (1977a).

Adult: The adult is illustrated in UKMoths. The species is included in mothdissection.co.uk.

Hosts in Great Britain and Ireland:

Cyperaceae        
Carex       Pitkin & Plant

Hosts elsewhere:

Cyperaceae        
Carex riparia Greater Pond-sedge British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa
Eriophorum vaginatum Hare's-tail Cottongrass British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa

Time of year - larvae: Larvae from April till July (Bland, 1996a).

Time of year - adults: Currently unknown.

Distribution in Great Britain and Ireland: Britain including Anglesey, Breconshire, Caernarvonshire, Cumberland, Denbighshire, Dumfriesshire, Dunbartonshire, East Norfolk, East Suffolk, East Sutherland, Easterness, Herefordshire, Kincardineshire, Linlithgow, Merionethshire, North Aberdeenshire, North Ebudes, North Northumberland, North-west Yorkshire, Radnorshire, Shropshire, South Aberdeenshire, South Northumberland, Stafford, West Perthshire, Westmorland, Wigtownshire and Shetland (NBN Atlas).

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

Distribution elsewhere: Widespread in continental Europe including Austria, Czech Republic, Danish mainland, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Latvia, Norwegian mainland, Poland, Russia- Central, North and Northwest, Slovakia, Sweden and Switzerland (Fauna Europaea).

NBN Atlas links to known host species:

Carex riparia, Eriophorum vaginatum

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
UKMoths

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