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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Butterflies and Moths (Lepidoptera) » Twirler Moths and kin (Gelechioidea) » Grass Miner Moths (Elachistidae) » Elachistinae » Elachista » gleichenella species group (Elachista gleichenella species group) » Elachista madarella - Hodges#1121 (Elachista madarella)
Photo#128012
Tiny - Elachista madarella
Copyright © 2007 john and jane balaban

Tiny - Elachista madarella
Harms Woods Forest Preserve, Glenview, Cook County, Illinois, USA
July 16, 2007
Size: ~3.5mm
Found another one of these tiny critters. Assuming it's a moth. Took a couple more pictures but don't know if they're any better than the one we posted the other day.
Getting a nice collection of these in the guide Robirdman's and Tom's even though we don't know what it is!

Images of this individual: tag all
Tiny - Elachista madarella Tiny - Elachista madarella
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Contributed by john and jane balaban on 17 July, 2007 - 3:05pm
Last updated 27 January, 2008 - 4:12pm

Moved
Moved from Nepticulidae.
… john and jane balaban, 27 January, 2008 - 4:12pm login or register to post comments

Tiny moths
The moths in these images are Elachista sp. (Elachistidae). The commonest of the metallic-banded Elachista species in Illinois is E. madarella, the larva of which is a leaf miner on sedges of the genus Carex. There are a few other metallic-banded Elachista species in Illinois, but they are not nearly so noticeably common as is E. madarella; so, that very probably is the identity of the moths in these photos. The earlier suggestion of Nepticulidae has to be ruled out, by the way, because the moths in your photos clearly have smooth, shiny-metallic, slicked-down scaling on the head. In Nepticulidae, the head bears a very prominent tuft of upright, hairlike scales that renders the appearance of the head fuzzy or shaggy, rather than smooth and shiny.
… Terry Harrison, 18 January, 2008 - 11:31pm login or register to post comments

 
Terry, what do you think
about the Tom's image which I included in a thumbnail? Just click on it and leave a comment there. And can you click on your name and tell us more about yourself?
… john and jane balaban, 19 January, 2008 - 4:53pm login or register to post comments

Moved
Moved from Moths.
… Dennis Profant, 19 July, 2007 - 11:53am login or register to post comments

I showed these pictures to so
I showed these pictures to someone who rears leaf miners, and he said they were Nepticulidae (at least the main pic). They are nearly impossible to identify without knowing the host plants or mining habits. Besides that, many are undescribed. I've tagged this under the family until over-ruled.
… Dennis Profant, 19 July, 2007 - 11:26am login or register to post comments

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