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).