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 obliquella Stainton, 1854
[Lepidoptera: Elachistidae]

Wood Dwarf


Elachista obliquella Stainton, 1854.
Elachista megerlella sensu auctt. nec
Hübner, [1810]


Leaf-miner: Initially a narrow brownish mine with blackish frass at its base, then moves to another leaf, forming a broader mine. Both mines can pucker the blade (British leafminers). Oviposition on the upperside of the leaf, often 2-3 eggs on the same leaf. Initially a narrow, brown, ascending corridor is made, with most frass in its basal part. This mine is soon vacated, and a new mine is made in another leaf. This secondary mine is an elongated, somewhat inflated blotch, as wide as the leaf (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). Dull grey green; head light brown; prothoracic shield dark brown, divided (Traugott-Olsen & Nielsen, 1977a) (Bladmineerders van Europa).

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

Attached to leaf or stem with silken girdle (British leafminers). Described by Patočka (1999a) (Bladmineerders van Europa).

Adult: The adult is not illustrated in UKMoths. The species is illustrated in mothdissection.co.uk

Hosts in Great Britain and Ireland:

Poaceae        
Brachypodium sylvaticum False Brome British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. British leafminers
Brachypodium sylvaticum False Brome British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Pitkin & Plant
Bromopsis erecta Upright Brome  

British leafminers, as Bromus erectus

Hosts elsewhere:

Poaceae        
Brachypodium pinnatum     Bladmineerders van Europa
Brachypodium sylvaticum False Brome British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa
Bromopsis erecta Upright Brome  

Bladmineerders van Europa

Bromopsis ramosa Hairy Brome British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa
Calamagrostis       Bladmineerders van Europa
Carex acuta Slender tufted-sedge British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa
Carex elata Tufted sedge British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa
Carex ornothopoda Birdsfoot sedge British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa
Carex spicata Spiked sedge British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa
Carex sylvatica Wood sedge British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa
Dactylis glomerata Cocksfoot British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa
Deschampsia caespitosa Tufted Hair-grass British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa
Festuca       Bladmineerders van Europa
Hordelymus europaeus     Bladmineerders van Europa
Melica       Bladmineerders van Europa
Milium effusum Wood Millet British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa
Poa chaixii     Bladmineerders van Europa
Rostraris cristata     Bladmineerders van Europa

Time of year - larvae: October-April, July (British leafminers).

Time of year - adults: Currently unknown.

Distribution in Great Britain and Ireland: Britain including Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Denbighshire, Derbyshire, Dorset, Durham, East Cornwall, East Norfolk, Glamorgan, Herefordshire, Hertfordshire, Huntingdonshire, North Hampshire, North Somerset, South Wiltshire, Stafford, Surrey, West Cornwall, West Kent, West Lancashire, West Suffolk and Westmorland (NBN Atlas).

See also British leafminers distribution map.

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

Distribution elsewhere: Widespread in continental Europe including Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Danish mainland, Estonia, French mainland, Germany, Hungary, Italian mainland, Latvia, Norwegian mainland, Poland, Portuguese mainland, Romania, Russia - East, Slovakia, Spanish mainland, Sweden, Switzerland and Ukraine (Fauna Europaea).

NBN interactive distribution map(s) of known host species in Great Britain and Ireland:

Brachypodium sylvaticum, Bromopsis erecta

British and Irish Parasitoids in Britain and elsewhere:

Ichneumonoidea - Links to species no longer available  
Dolichogenidea sicaria (Marshall, 1885) Braconidae: Microgastrinae
Pholetesor circumscriptus (Nees, 1834) Braconidae: Microgastrinae
Pholetesor viminetorum (Wesmael, 1837) Braconidae: Microgastrinae


External links: Search the internet:

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

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Last updated 18-Oct-2019  Brian Pitkin Top of page