Elachistidae

38.032 Pearly Grass-miner Elachista apicipunctella Stainton, 1849

Local

Similar species:

Forewing: 5 to 5.5mm

Habitats: Woodland margins and clearings.

Habits: The moth rests on tree trunks. It comes to light.

Foodplant: The larva mines a leaf of Cock's-foot, Creeping Soft-grass or fescues. The mine descends from the leaf tip and consists of parallel galleries not evenly eaten to full depth, with central interrupted lines of frass, giving it an irregular greenish appearance. The larva is pale yellow with a brown head and prothoracic plate. The plate consists of two L-shaped sections on each side of the central line. It pupates without a cocoon under a slight web under debris, a stone or in a dead thistle or umbellifer stem.

On the European mainland it has also been recorded feeding on Wood Fescue, Giant Fescue, Slender Cock's-foot, False Oat-grass, False Brome, Bearded Couch, Wood Meadow-grass, Mountain Melick, Wood Millet, Tufted Hair-grass and Hairy Wood-rush.