Leaf-mine: Larva forming a large primary blotch, sometimes several larvae feeding together with frass scattered irregularly throughout the mine; leaves often being largely destroyed and the plants suffering considerable damage (Spencer, 1976: 380, 381 (fig. 663A)).

Striking, large, somewhat inflated, upper-surface, often purple-brown blotch without a preceding corridor. The mine is unusual because locally also the spongy mesophyl is eaten away, making the mine locally full depth and giving it a mottled appearance (right picture below). The mine begins in the centre of the leaf, or the base of a leaf segment (Griffiths, 1956b). The very first part of the mine differs in colour and structure; probably it is made by the larvae before its first ecdysis. Frass in very fine grains scattered over the floor of the mine. Pupation outside the mine. Exit slit in upper epidermis (Pakalniskis, 2004a) - see Bladmineerders van Europa.

A large blotch is formed, sometimes by several larvae, on the upper surface of the leaf. Frass is found scattered throughout the mine (British leafminers).

Larva: The larva is described by de Meijere (1925) and illustrated in Bladmineerders van Europa.

Puparium: Dull brown, deeply segmented; posterior spiracles each with an ellipse of up to 20 bulbs (Spencer, 1976: 380).

Hosts in Britain:

Hosts elsewhere:

Time of year - mines: June-September.

Time of year - adults: Unknown.

Distribution in Great Britain and Ireland: Common in south particularly in gardens (Spencer, 1972: 82) including Warwickshire (Coventry) (Robbins, 1991: 28); East Norfolk, East Suffolk, East Sussex, Linlithgow, South Essex, Surrey, West Norfolk and West Suffolk (NBN Gateway - N.B. includes Watsonian Vice Counties having publicly available records that fall within or overlap the vice county border at 10km resolution or better i.e. a record for a vice county may relate to an adjacent vice county - for included datasets see NBN Grid map below).

Also recorded on Columbine (Aquilegia vulgaris), 12 June 1985 at Castlecurragh, Co. Limerick, Ireland (H.C.J. Godfray).

NBN Grid map: Note that not all datasets on the NBN Gateway may be available on the map below. If you are an NBN Gateway registered user you can request access for missing datasets via the link 'Open interactive map in new window' below.

Distribution elsewhere: Widespread in continental Europe including Denmark, Finland, Norway (Spencer, 1976: 380), Belgium (de Bruyn and von Tschirnhaus, 1991), The Netherlands (Bladmineerders van Europa), Czech Republic, French mainland, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Switzerland (Martinez in Fauna Europaea).

Range extending eastwards to the Kirghiz and Kazakh Republics of the [former] U.S.S.R. (Spencer, 1976: 380).

References to aquilegiae in North America have all proven inaccurate (Spencer, 1976: 380).

NBN interactive distribution map(s) of known host species in Great Britain and Ireland and elsewhere:

Parasitoids in Britain and elsewhere:

Biodiversity Heritage Library
Bladmineerders van Europa
British leafminers
Encyclopedia of Life
Fauna Europaea [127496]
NBN Gateway