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Elachista maculicerusella is a moth of the family Elachistidae found in Europe.

Elachista maculicerusella
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Elachistidae
Genus:	Elachista
Species:	E. maculicerusella
Binomial name
Elachista maculicerusella (Bruand, 1859)
Synonyms
Lita maculicerusella Bruand, 1859 Tinea cerusella Hubner, 1796 Elachista monosemiella Rossler, 1881

The wingspan is 10–12 millimetres (0.39–0.47 in). The moth flies from May to August depending on the location.[1] The head is whitish. Forewings are ochreous- whitish ; sometimes two or three dark fuscous spots near base ; cloudy dark fuscous fasciae in middle and at 3/4,sometimes obsolete towards costa, anterior including black plical stigma. Hindwings are grey.The larva is pale yellow ; head brown ; 2 with two faint brown spots.[2]

The larvae mine the stems of reed canary-grass (Phalaris arundiacea), common reed (Phragmites australis) and other grasses on occasion.^{[clarification needed]} The mine starts at the leaf tip and descends as an irregular blotch mine. The mine is flat and quite shallow. The frass is initially deposited in the oldest, upper part of the mine, but later in strings. The larva may leave the mine and restart elsewhere. Pupation takes place outside of the mine.[3]

Gallery

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  Larva
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  Mined Phragmites leaf

References

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