Leaf-mine: Oviposition takes place at the base of the petiole in a young leaf. Larva initially feeds in mid-rib, later producing characteristic irregular upper surface linear-blotch. Pupation internal (Spencer, 1972: 81; Spencer, 1976: 433-4).

Oviposition, in May-June, in the underside of the petiole or midrib of a young leaf, leaves a clear scar. In the course of the following months the larva tunnels in the midrib in the direction of the leaf tip. Only in December-January it enters the leaf blade, where the fist moult takes place. The larva then makes an interparenchymatous blotch in the blade, in the middle layer of the (three cell layers thick) palisade parenchyma. Most frass is deposited in the centre of the blotch; here the epidermis often turns wine red. Often tha larva, not long before pupation, descends into the upper layers of the sponge parenchyma, and makes a large blotch there. This second mine, despite its size, is quite inconspicuous because there is no discolouration whatever. Pupation is within the mine, upper-surface, but lower-surface when a second blotch has been made. The anterior spiracles penetrate the epidermis (Bladmineerders van Europa).

Initially in mid-rib then upper surface blotch. Only miner on Holly. Widespread throughout. The early mine is green (British leafminers).

Larva: The larva is described by de Meijere (1926) and Dempewolf (2001: 189). The larva is illustrated in Bladmineerders van Europe.

Puparium: The puparium is illustrated in Bladmineerders van Europa and British leafminers.

Hosts in Britain:

Hosts elsewhere:

Time of year - mines: April-November.

Time of year - adults: A single generation each year.

Distribution in Great Britain and Ireland: Widespread throughout Britain including Ayrshire, Brecon
Caernarvonshire, Cardiganshire, Cheshire, Denbighshire, Derbyshire, Dorset, East Gloucestershire, East Norfolk, East Ross, East Suffolk, East Sussex, East Sutherland, Easterness, Edinburgh, Elgin, Flintshire,
Glamorgan, Haddington, Herefordshire, Hertfordshire, Mid-west Yorkshire, Middlesex, Monmouthshire, North Essex, North Somerset, North-east Yorkshire, Roxburgh, Shropshire, South Aberdeen, South Devon, South Essex, South Lancaster, South Wiltshire, South-west Yorkshire, Stafford, Surrey, Warwickshire, West Gloucestershire, West Kent, West Lancaster, West Norfolk, West Ross, West Suffolk, West Sussex, West Sutherland, Westerness, Westmorland and Worcestershire (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), Dunbarton (Spencer, 1972: 81), Rum (Bland in Whiteley, 1994), Hampshire (Fleet) (British leafminers), Warwickshire (Tile Hill) (Robbins, 1991: 40).

Also recorded in the Republic of Ireland: Dublin and Co. Kerry (Spencer, 1972).

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, Norway, Sweden (Spencer, 1976: 433), The Netherlands, Luxembourg (Bladmineerders van Europa), Belgium (de Bruyn and von Tschirnhaus, 1991), Germany (Spencer, 1976: 574; Dempewolf, 2001: 189), Italian mainland, Sicily and Switzerland (Martinez in Fauna Europaea).

Introduced into western Canada and the north-west U.S.A. (Spencer, 1976: 433).

NBN interactive distribution map(s) of known host species in Britain:

Parasitoids in Britain and elsewhere: