Kingdom Animalia Class Insecta Family Elachistidae Scientific name Elachista alpinella | Phylum Arthropoda Order Lepidoptera Genus Elachista Rank Species | |
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Similar Elachista serricornis, Elachista albidella, Elachista utonella, Elachista albifrontella, Elachista poae | ||
Elachista alpinella is a moth of the Elachistidae family. It is found from Fennoscandia and northern Russia to the Pyrenees and Italy and from Ireland to central Russia and Hungary. It is also found in North America.
The wingspan is 9–13 millimetres (0.35–0.51 in).
The larvae feed on Carex acuta, Carex acutiformis, Carex paniculata and Carex riparia. The larvae mine the leaves of their host. The mine is narrow and begins just below the tip of the leaf and runs downwards. It might be found along the leaf margin or in the centre of the leaf. It is thought that the larvae start a new mine after hibernation. This mine is similar to the first, but ends near the leaf base. Pupation takes place outside of the mine.
References
Elachista alpinella Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA