Elachistidae

38.004 Silver Grass-miner Elachista argentella (Clerck, 1759)

Common

Similar species:

Forewing: 5 to 6mm

Habitats: Grassland including salt-marsh.

Habits: Easily disturbed in the day. It flies in the evening and later comes to light.

Foodplant: The small larva forms a narrow gallery mine up to three centimetres long in a leaf of Cock's-foot Grass or Reed Canary-grass, Barren Brome, Upright Brome, False Brome, Heath False Brome, Creeping Soft-grass, Yorkshire Fog, Wood Small-reed, Hard Fescue, Red Fescue, Sheep's-fescue, Meadow Oat-grass, Tufted Hair-grass or Common Couch. It overwinters in the mine. In March a dark-grey mine is formed at the tip of a new leaf. The full depth mine descends down the leaf taking up the whole width with the frass to one side of the mine. At this stage the larva may switch its feeding to another leaf. It is grey-green with a white dorsal line and pale brown head. The prothoracic plate has eight sclerites in two plates. The larva leaves the mine in April and pupates without a cocoon attached to a grass blade by a silk girdle.

On the European mainland it has also been recorded feeding on Crested Hair-grass, Lyme Grass, Smooth Meadow-grass, cat's-tails and bents.