Leaf-mine: The initial mine is a short gallery at the leaf edge, which expands to from a blotch. The larva cuts out an oval case 4-5.5 mm long (British leafminers), in which it subsequently lives amongst leaf litter on the ground (UKMoths).

Oviposition usually close to the leaf margin. From there starts a corridor of about 1 cm; it contains much frass, is often somehat tortuous in its beginning and as a roll closely follows the leaf margin. After a moult the direction reverses and the larva starts making a full depth blotch that can become several cm long and wide. Here the frass lies in scattered grains. The full grown larva covers an oval section at the margin of the blotch with a light brown pergamon-like layer of silk, cuts this loose and drops within it to the ground. The excision that is made is about 4-4.5 mm long. Unlike A. metallella the female does not makes test punctures before ovipsition (Bladmineerders van Europa).

Larva: Oviposition usually close to the leaf margin. From there starts a corridor of about 1 cm; it contains much frass, is often somehat tortuous in its beginning and as a role closely follows the leaf margin. After a moult the direction reverses (picture) and the larva starts making a full depth blotch that can become several cm long and wide. Here the frass is lying in scattered grains. The full grown larva covers an oval section at the margin of the blotch with a light brown pergamon-like layer of silk, cuts this loose and drops within it to the ground. The excision that is made is about 4-4.5 mm long. Contrary to metallella the female does not makes test punctures before ovipsition (Dziursynski, 1958a; Heath and Pelham-Clinton, 1976a). Also contrary to metallella the larva has a row of black spots on all abdominal segments, easily visible without opening the mine. (The larva lies belly-up in the mine (Bladmineerders van Europa).

The larval case is also illustrated in British leafminers and UKMoths.

Pupa: Details unknown.

Adult: The adult is illustrated in UKMoths. The genitalia are not illustrated by the Lepidoptera Dissection Group (check for update).

Hosts in Britain:

Hosts elsewhere:

Time of year - larvae: August until early October (UKMoths; British leafminers).

Time of year - adults: June and July (UKMoths).

Distribution in Great Britain and Ireland: Occurs locally in parts of southern England, including Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire, East Norfolk, East Suffolk, Herefordshire, North Essex, North Hampshire, North Somerset, Northamptonshire, South Wiltshire, Surrey, Warwickshire, West Norfolk, West Suffolk and Worcestershire (NBN Gateway, includes Watsonian Vice Counties having records that fall within or overlap the vice county border at 10km resolution or better). See also British leafminers distribution map.

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, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, French mainland, Germany, Greek mainland, Hungary, Italian mainland, Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Switzerland, The Netherlands and Ukraine (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: