Elachista (Aphelosetia) cf. bedellella

• Subfamily: Elachistinae
• Wingspan: 07-08 mm
• Flight period: May - Aug
• Spread: Uncommon
• Host plants: Poaceae

Information

The Elachista argentella is a small moth of the Elachistidae family, with a wingspan of 07-08 mm.
In Europe it is present in Spain, United Kingdom, France, Switzerland, Germany, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Austria, Poland, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria and Russia. In Italy it is absent from the islands. *

The background color of the front wings of the Elachista argentella is gray. Two white lines divide the wing into three almost equal parts, the edge is strongly fringed in shades of gray and white. The rear wing is white or light gray, also strongly fringed. The head and abdomen are gray in color.

Bivoltine moth the first generation is visible from May to June, the second from July to August. It overwinters in the larva stage which is again visible between June and July. It is found in mainly dry open environments.

The larva creates burrows on the tips of two or three leaves in succession of the host plant, creating small spots that are difficult to see. **

The larvae feed on Poaceae among the plants we find Arrhenatherum elatius, Avena, Avenula pratensis, Festuca ovina, Phleum, Poa nemoralis and Poa trivialis.


* Lepidoptera mundi https://lepidoptera.eu/ - Fauna Europea https://fauna-eu.org/
** Plant Parasites of Europe leafminers, galls and fungi - https://bladmineerders.nl/