Elachista utonella
Elachista utonella is a moth of the family Elachistidae found in Asia and Europe.
Description
The wingspan is. The head is grey in the male, whitish in the female. Forewings are rather dark fuscous or ochreous-grey, pale-sprinkled, lighter in female; plical stigma elongate, black, preceded and followed by whitish marks; a small tornal spot, and larger triangular anteriorly dark-edged opposite costal spot white. Hindwings are dark grey. The larva is grey; head brown; 2 pale yellowish, with two brown spots. Dissection is necessary to separate the moth from the similar Elachista albidella and Elachista eleochariella.There is one generation per year in Great Britain, but there are possibly two generations in continental Europe.
The larvae feed on lesser pond-sedge, Carex brizoides, distant sedge, brown sedge, star sedge, Carex elata, glaucous sedge, hairy sedge, Carex muricata, greater tussock-sedge, Carex remota, greater pond sedge, spiked sedge, bladder sedge, fescue, saltmarsh rush and Scirus sylvaticus. They mine the leaves of their host plant.