Morley’s Final Catalogue: Frequent about hedges. Flying by day at Belstead in 1898 (Pyett); Southwold (Ctw).
Recent Status: This is probably the commonest of Britain’s Elachista species but the number of records do not reflect this owing to the small and undistinguished appearance of the male. It is predominantly recorded in the Sandlings
Life Style: The species has two or three broods in a year and can be found from April through to September. The larvae mine grass leaves with a preference for Holcus mollis and Arrhenantherum elatius. It is the ova that are likely to overwinter but larvae could also hibernate.
Identification: This species is strongly sexually dimorphic. The females are boldly marked. The head and thorax are light ochre. The proximal third is white with some grey shading. There is a broad white fascia at one third. The distal two thirds are grey with a white tornal and costal spot a little beyond. The males can show the female patterning vaguely but this is on a grey brown background colour and markings are often absent. The male never has clear markings. More Info The larvae are pale with a brownish head. They produce a blotch mine. More Info Verification Grade Comment: Worn specimens Grade 4 Recorded in 30 (52%) of 58 10k Squares. First Recorded in 1898. Last Recorded in 2023. |