Leaf-mine: Corridor mine following the mid-rib, with lateral offshoots. Pupation external.

The mine begin as a long, quite narrow corridor, usually not far from the tip of a leaf segment. Usually this corridor follows the leaf margin for some distance, but it may also run freely through the blade and may then be stongly contorted. In the end the corridor is directed towards the midrib, where an elongated blotch is formed, overlying the midrib and some of the larger lateral veins. Frass in a nearly continuous line in the initial corridor, in scattered lumps in the later part of the mine. Primary and secondary feeding lines very conspicuous when seen in transparancy. Pupation outside the mine (Bladmineerders van Europa).

The mine starts as a very narrow corridor, usually close to the tip of a leaf segment and following the leaf margin. The later section of the corridor approaches the main vein, where an elongated blotch is made with long broad finger like extensions that lay over the secondary veins. In the initial corridor the frass forms an almost continuous line, in the blotch it is distributed in large scattered lumps. In fresh mines the secondary feeding lines are clearly visible (British leafminers).

The mine is also illustrated in the Encyclopedia of Life.

Larva: The larva is described by Vos-de Wilde (1935) and illustrated in Bladmineerders van Europa.

Puparium: Yellow; anterior spiracle openings arranged in large arcs, not elevated on a fan-like structure; posterior spiracles each with a central opening larger and more raised than the lateral openings (White, 1988: 63). The pupraium is illustrated in the Encyclopedia of Life and Bladmineerders van Europa.

Adult: The adult is illustrated in the Encyclopedia of Life.

Comments: There is a unconfirmed published record of zoe on Phlox, but this is not considered normal (White, 1988: 63). Uffen in Chandler (1978) did not indicate whether his host records were British or Foreign and is therefore included under 'Hosts in Britain' and 'Hosts elsewhere'.

Hosts in Britain:

Hosts elsewhere:

Time of year - mines: May-July, September.

Time of year - adults: April-May and June-August.

Distribution in Great Britain and Ireland: Throughout the British Isles, more common in the south than the north (White, 1988: 63), including Warwickshire (Birmingham and Coventry) (Robbins, 1991), Roxburgh (Avenel Hill) (Bland and Rotheray, 1994: 80); Cambridgeshire, Cheshire, East Norfolk, East Ross, Easterness, Edinburgh, Elgin, Glamorgan, Hertfordshire, Huntingdonshire, Merionethshire, Middlesex, North Somerset, Renfrewshire, Shropshire, South Essex, South Lancaster, South-west Yorkshire,
Stafford, Surrey, Warwickshire, West Kent and Westmorland (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).

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 The Netherlands (Bladmineerders van Europa), Belgium (Leclercq and de Bruyn, 1991) and the European part of the [former] U.S.S.R. (White, 1988: 63).

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

Parasitoids in Britain and elsewhere: