Elachista gangabella Zeller, 1850

yellow-barred dwarf

mine

Mine transparant (therefore conspicuous), generally descending from the leaf tip. Over the entire length of the mine stretches a central silken tube, in which the larva can retreat and can move quickly up or down. The tube also contains the frass. The larva feeds laterally from the tube, which makes the sides of the mine very irregular.

host plants

Poaceae, oligophagous

Brachypodium pinnatum, sylvaticum; Dactylis glomerata; Melica nutans.

Brachypodium sylvaticum is the most important hostplant by far (Steuer, 1973a).

phenology

Larvae from September till November; they hibernate in the mine, which they leave in spring to pupate (Traugott-Olsen & Schmidt-Nielsen, 1977a).

BENELUX

BE recorded (De Prins, 1998a).

NE recorded (Kuchlein & de Vos, 1999a; Microlepidoptera.nl, 2008).

LUX not recorded (Fauna Europaea, 2008).

distribution within Europe

All Europe (Corley ao, 2006a; Fauna Europaea, 2008).

larva

synonyms

Elachista taeniatella Stainton, 1857.

E. gangabella and unifasciella have been confused for a long time in the past (Steuer, 1973a). This may be the cause of the reference to Holcus as a host plant of gangabella by Hering (1957a).

references

Baldizzone (2004a), Baran, Mazurkiewicz & Pałka (2007a), Beiger (1979a), Bidzilya, Budashkin & Zhakov (2016a), Buhr (1935a), Buszko (1990a), Corley, Marabuto, Maravalhas, Pires & Cardoso (2008a), Corley, Maravalhas & Passos de Carvalho (2006a), Ford (1943a), Hering (1957a), Huemer & Mayr (2000a), Kaila, Nupponen, Junnilainen, Nupponen, Kaitila & Olschwang (2003a), Kuchlein & de Vos (1999a), Parenti & Varalda (1994a), De Prins (1998a), Robbins (1991a), Roweck & Savenkov (2007a), Schütze (1931a), Sruoga & Ivinskis (2005a), Steurer (1973a), Szőcs (1977a), Traugott-Olsen & Schmidt-Nielsen (1977a), Walczak (2011a).