Carex sedge
(For a dichotomous table for galls on Carex by Hans Roskam click here)
Dichotomous table for leafminers
1a oviposition spot covered by a shiny black drop of dried secretion => 2
1b no such drop => 3
1c galls, etc => Tables for all parasites per species
Dichotomous table for leafminers
1a oviposition spot covered by a shiny black drop of dried secretion => 2
1b no such drop => 3
1c galls, etc => Tables for all parasites per species
2a on Carex-species with uniform spikelets; mainly a stem borer: Aphanisticus elongatus
2b leafminer on Carex flacca: Aphanisticus pusillus
3a larva with chitinised head; generally much frass in greyish grains, either in a central line or occupying the entire width of the mine (Lepidoptera**) => 4
3b larva a maggot; not that much frawss, anyway in the first part of the mine; frass either in two rows along the corridor sides or in 1 or a few large, widely separated lumps => 42
4a larva: with 4 red-brown length lines: Sedina buettneri
4b no such length lines => 5
5a larva: thoracic feet anteromesally with a globular structure: Donacaula forficella
5b no such appendage => 6
6a larva: pronotum laterally with a black spot: Monochroa arundinetella
6b no such spot; Elachista-species * => 7
7a on Carex acuta => 8
7b on Carex acutiformis => 11
7c on Carex brizoides: Elachista utonella
7d on Carex curvula: Elachista gleichenella
7e on Carex digitata => 14
7f on Carex distans: Elachista contaminatella & E. utonella
7g on Carex disticha: Elachista utonella
7h on Carex divulsa: Elachista gleichenella
7i on Carex echinata => 16
7j on Carex elata => 17
7k on Carex ericetorum => 20
7l on Carex ferruginea => 22
7m on Carex flacca => 23
7n on Carex hirta: Elachista utonella
7o on Carex hudsonii: Elachista obliquella
7p on Carex humilis => 27
7q on Carex laevigata: Elachista gleichenella
7r on Carex montana => 29
7s on Carex morrowii: Elachista gleichenella
7t on Carex muricata => 16
7u on Carex nigra: Elachista eleochariella
7v on Carex ornithopoda => 31
7w on Carex cuprina: Elachista gleichenella
7x on Carex panicea: Elachista eleochariella, morandinii
7y on Carex paniculata => 34
7y2 on Carex pediformid: Elachista kebneella
7z on Carex pendula: Elachista gleichenella
7aa on Carex pilosa => 36
7bb on Carex remota: Elachista utonella
7cc on Carex riparia => 37
7dd on Carex rotundata: E. tanaella
7ee on Carex sempervirens: Elachista gleichenella, ornithopodella & zonulae
7ff on Carex spicata => 38
7gg on Carex sylvatica => 39
7hh on Carex umbrosa: Elachista gleichenella
7ii on Carex vaginata: Elachista imatrella
7jj on Carex vesicaria => 41
8a head black or dark brown => 9
8b head lighter in colour => 10
9a head “shining greyish black”; prothoracic plate greyish brown: Elachista albidella
9b head dark brown: Elachista biatomella
10a prothoracic plate grey: Elachista alpinella
10b prothoracic plate dark brown: Elachista obliquella
11a species within Europe known only from Italy: Elachista fulgens
11b species (also) elsewhere in Europe => 12
12a head black or dark brown => 13
12b head lighter in colour: Elachista alpinella
13a head “shining greyish black”; prothoracic plate greyish brown: Elachista albidella
13b head dark brown: Elachista utonella
14a larval with two orange red dorsal length lines: Elachista cinereopunctella, kebneella
14b larval more or less single coloured => 15
15a prothoracic plate black: Elachista gleichenella
15b prothoracic plate amber coloured: Elachista occidentalis
16a prothoracic plate black: Elachista gleichenella
16b prothoracic plate light brown: Elachista utonella
17a species within Europe known only from Italy: Elachista fulgens
17b species (also) elsewhere in Europe => 18
18a head black: Elachista utonella
18b head light brown => 19
19a meso- and metathorax each with a lateral spot, connected by a whitish line; prothoracic plate light brown: Elachista serricornis
19b no such marking; prothoracic plate dark brown: Elachista bisulcella
20a larval with two orange red dorsal length lines: Elachista cinereopunctella
20b not so => 21
21a meso- and metathorax each with a lateral spot, connected by a whitish line: Elachista serricornis
21b unpigmented: Elachista occidentalis
22a species of all European mountains: Elachista serricornis
22b only in the Alps: Elachista differens
23a larva unknwown: E. eleochariella
23b larval with two orange red dorsal length lines: Elachista cinereopunctella
23c not so => 24
24a head almost colourless: Elachista quadripunctella
24b head dark brown to black => 25
25a prothoracic plate black: Elachista gleichenella
25b prothoracic plate light brown => 26
26a greyish green to greyish: Elachista utonella
26b yellowish to amber: Elachista biatomella & E. pigerella
27a larval with two orange red dorsal length lines: Elachista cinereopunctella
27b monochromous yellow to bone coloured => 28
28a head black: Elachista gleichenella
28b head very weakly chitinised: Elachista hedemanni, E. juliensis & E. martinii
29a larva unknown: Elachista squamosella
29b larva single coloured: Elachista gleichenella
29c larva with two dorsal length lines => 30
30a length lines red: Elachista ornithopodella
30b length lines grey: Elachista tetragonella
31a larval with two orange red dorsal length lines => 32
31b bodsy single coloured => 33
32a head brown: Elachista ornithopodella
32b head dark brown: Elachista cinereopunctella
33a head light brown: Elachista obliquella
33b head dark brown: Elachista gleichenella
34a prothoracic plate black: Elachista gleichenella
34b prothoracic plate light brown or grey => 35
35a head black: Elachista utonella
35b head light brown: Elachista alpinella
36a with two orange red dorsal length lines: Elachista cinereopunctella
36b no length lines: Elachista gleichenella
37a species, within Europe, known only from Italy: Elachista fulgens
37b species (also) elsewhere in Italy: Elachista albidella, alpinella, kilmunella & utonella
38a head black: Elachista utonella
38b head light brown: Elachista obliquella
39a head dark brown: Elachista gleichenella
39b head light brown => 40
40a prothoracic plate dark brown: Elachista obliquella
40b prothoracic plate light brown: Elachista serricornis
41a head black: Elachista utonella
41b head light brown : Elachista serricornis
42a at the start of the mine an elliptic egg shell adheres to the leaf; puparium in the mine, usually in a separate larval chamber, without frass; larva: mandible with 1 tooth: Hydrellia griseola
42b egg shell invisible, within the leaf tissue; mandible with 2 or more teeth => 43
43a frass in many small grains, sometimes pearl chains or strings => 44
43b frass in 1 or a few big lumps => 46
44a puparium in the mine (occurrence on this hostplant uncertain): Cerodontha geniculata
44b puparium outside the mine => 45
45a upper surface corridor, descending from the leaf tip: Metopomyza scutellata
45b mine initially lower-surface, running from the leaf base up, turns upper-surface there and redescends, widening all the while: Metopomyza xanthaspis
45c mine in the leaf tip: Metopomyza nigrohumeralis
46a larva: at the base of the rear spiraculum a black wart => 47
46b no such wart there => 52
47a frass in one single lump; larva: one of the three papillae of the rear spiraculum extremely elongated, dagger-like: Cerodontha staryi
47b frass in a few lumps; so such dagger-like papilla => 48
48a larva: rear spiraculum with 4 or more papillae; wart small, without a “root”: Cerodontha angulata
48b rear spiraculum with 3 papillae; wart large, with a conspicuous root: => 49
49a larva: warts medially touching each other => 50
49b warts well separated => 51
50a warts are medially fused; on Carex divulsa, pseudocyperus, spicata, vulpina: Cerodontha vigneae
50b warts just touching each other; on Carex hirta: Cerodontha pseuderrans
51a warts are narrower then the depth of their root; the spinulation on the surface of the warts extremely fine: Cerodontha eucaricis
51b warts wider then the depth of their root; spinulation not that extremely fine: Cerodontha caricivora
52a species from Iceland, larva unknown: Cerodontha lindrothi
52b species from all over Europe => 53
53a larva: papillae of the rear spiraculum elongated, standing out like a hen’s toes; mine usually within the leaf sheath => 54
53b papillae also elongated, rear one more or less wound around the base of the spiraculum; mine generally ending in the leaf blade => 55
54a several lumps of frass; on Carex hirta: Cerodontha hirtae
54b frass in one big lump; on Carex sylvatica and C. pilosa: Cerodontha spinata
55a mine usually in the leaf tip, usually on Carex sylvatica: Cerodontha cariciola
55b mine usually in the central part of the blade => 56
56a on Carex arenaria, hirta, in xerothermous habitats: Cerodontha suturalis
56b on various Carex-soorten (incl. hirta), common species Cerodontha morosa
* The larvae of many Elachistidae are not or insufficiently described, and the construction of a normal key is impossible. However, many species seem to be rather narrowly monophagous, therefore a key has been made, starting with individual Carex species. The identifications may not be regarded as anything more than suggestions. A few species could not even be dealt with in this fashion, because only “Carex” was mentioned as the (presumed) hostplant: Elachista arnoldi, atricomella, carinisella, humilis, leifi, nobilella, scirpi and stabilella.
Not included in the key: Cerodontha mellita; Metopomyza interfrontalis.