Elachista eleochariella is a moth of the family Elachistidae found in Europe and North America.
Description The wingspan is .The head is grey. Forewings are grey; plical stigma black, preceded and followed by whitish marks; a small tornal spot, and an oblique wedge-shaped mark on costa opposite whitish. Hindwings are dark grey.Meyrick, E., 1895 A Handbook of British Lepidoptera MacMillan, London pdf Keys and descriptionEmmet, A. M. (Hrsg.) (1985): The Moths and Butterflies of Great Britain and Ireland. Volume 3 (Yponomeutidae to Elachistidae). Harley Books, Colchester, Essex.Fal’kovich;M. .I., 1990 Elachistidae; in G.S. Medvedev (ed.): Keys to the insects of the europaean part of the USSR, Vol.IV: Lepidoptera, part 2 (english translation), Oxonian Press Pvt.Ltd., New Dehli, 1987
The larvae feed on glaucous sedge (Carex flacca), carnation sedge (Carex panicea), black sedge (Carex nigra), common spike-rush (Eleocharis palustris) and common cottongrass (Eriophorum angustifolium). There is some confusion as to the form of the mine with a different description on the UKmoths website.
Pupation takes place outside of the mine.
Distribution In Europe it is found from northern Europe and northern Russia to the Pyrenees and Alps, and from Ireland to Romania. It is also found in North America.
References
External links Lepiforum de Lepidoptera of Sweden Revision of the Nearctic species of Elachista. The tetragonella group (Lepidoptera: Elachistidae)