Leaf-mine: The larva of this species creates a gallery mine. The mine is similar to those of the alder-feeding Nepticulidae, but is generally shorter, with the larval exit-hole on the upperside of the leaf rather than the underside. After vacating the mine, the larva grazes on the underside of the leaf in the manner of other Bucculatricidae (UKMoths).

Short and narrow corridor, starting at an oval, iridescent egg shell that is usually placed at the leaf underside, close to a thick vein. The larval chamber is more than three times as long as wide and is vacated through an upper surface exit slit. Frass in a narrow central black line; when the mine is made in Bog-Myrtle the thick frass line almost fills the corridor. Older larvae live free and cause window-feeding (Bladmineerders van Europa).

The mine is also illustrated in British leafminers.

Larva: The mining larvae have well-developed thoracic legs, that distinguish them from those of the Stigmella's mining on Alder (Bladmineerders van Europa).

The larva is also illustrated in British leafminers.

Pupa: The larva pupates in a cocoon and is illustrated in British leafminers.

Adult: The adult is illustrated in UKMoths by Adriaan Peeters. The male and female genitalia are illustrated by the Lepidoptera Dissection Group.

Hosts in Britain:

Hosts elsewhere:

Time of year - larvae: August and September (UKMoths; British leafminers).

Time of year - adults: May and June, sometimes with a second generation in August (UKMoths).

Distribution in Great Britain and Ireland: Distributed widely across much of the British Isles, though not always common (UKMoths), including Hampshire (Fleet), Suffolk (British leafminers); Anglesey, Caernarvonshire, Cambridgeshire, Cardiganshire, Carmarthenshire, Cheshire, Denbighshire, Dorset, East Kent, East Norfolk, East Suffolk, East Sutherland, Glamorgan, Herefordshire, Isle Of Wight, North Essex, North Somerset, Shropshire, South Aberdeen, South Hampshire, South Wiltshire, Stafford, Warwickshire, 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) and Ireland (Karsholt and van Nieukerken in Fauna Europaea). 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 Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Croatia, Czech Republic, Danish mainland, Estonia, Finland, French mainland, Germany, Hungary, Italian mainland, Kaliningrad Region, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Norwegian mainland, Poland, Romania, Russia - Central, East and Northwest, Sardinia, ? Sicily, Slovakia, 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.

Belgian Lepidoptera
Biodiversity Heritage Library
Bladmineerders van Europa
British leafminers
Encyclopedia of Life
Fauna Europaea
NBN Gateway
UKMoths