Leaf-mine: The larva initially mines a leaf of Common sorrel (Rumex acetosa) in July and August, and then feeds externally on lower leaves until May, when it pupates in a cocoon near the ground among vegetation (UKMoths).

Young larvae make a number of rather large, untidy full depth mines. The mines contain little of no frass. The lower-surface opening, by which the larva has entered the mine, is irregularly roundish. Older larvae live free on the plant (Bladmineerders van Europa).

Larva: See Tremewan (1985a) (Bladmineerders van Europa).

Pupa: Pupates in a cocoon near the ground (Belgian Lepidoptera). Described by Patočka and Turčáni (2005a) (Bladmineerders van Europa).

Adult: The adult is illustrated in UKMoths (by David Painter) and the Encyclopedia of Life. The genitalia are not illustrated by the Lepidoptera Dissection Group (check for update).

Hosts in Britain:

Hosts elsewhere:

Time of year - larvae: July until May the following year (Bladmineerders van Europa).

Time of year - adults: May, July - August (UKMoths).

Distribution in Great Britain and Ireland: Britain including Bedfordshire, Berkshire, Berwickshire, Brecon, Buckinghamshire, Caernarvonshire, Cambridgeshire, Cardiganshire, Carmarthenshire, Cheshire, Cumberland, Denbighshire, Derbyshire, Dorset, Durham, East Cornwall, East Gloucestershire, East Kent, East Norfolk, East Suffolk, East Sussex, Flintshire, Glamorgan, Herefordshire, Hertfordshire, Huntingdonshire, Isle Of Wight, Kirkudbrightshire, Leicestershire, Main Argyll, Merionethshire, Mid-west Yorkshire, Middlesex, Monmouthshire, Montgomeryshire, North Essex, North Hampshire, North Lincolnshire, North Somerset, North Wiltshire, North-east Yorkshire, North-west Yorkshire, Northamptonshire, Northumberland South, Nottinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Pembrokeshire, Radnorshire, Roxburgh and Shropshire (NBN Gateway, includes Watsonian Vice Counties having records that fall within or overlap the vice county border at 10km resolution or better) and the Channel Is. (Karsholt and van Nieukerken in Fauna Europaea).

Also recorded in the Republic of Ireland (Karsholt and van Nieukerken in Fauna Europaea).

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 Albania, Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Danish mainland, Estonia, European Turkey, Finland, Germany, Greek mainland, Hungary, Italian mainland, Kaliningrad Region, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Republic of Moldova, Norwegian mainland, Poland, Romania, Russia - Central, East, North, Northwest and South, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spanish mainland, Sweden, Switzerland, The Netherlands, Ukraine and Yugoslavia (Karsholt and van Nieukerken in Fauna Europaea).

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

Parasitoids in Britain and elsewhere: Unknown.