Leaf-mine: The larvae mine the leaves creating a long, meandering gallery containing narrow blackish frass. In later instars, the larva feeds externally (UKMoths).

Young larvae in a very long, hair thin, winding corridor. Usually the corridor is (largely) upper-surface. Frass initially in a narrow continuous central line; further on the frass line is often interrupted. Older larvae live free and cause window feeding, usually at the leaf underside (Bladmineerders van Europa).

The mine is also illustrated in British leafminers.

Larva: The larva is illustrated in UKMoths.

Pupa: Details unknown.

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

Hosts in Britain:

Hosts elsewhere:

Time of year - larvae: January - April and July (British leafminers).

Time of year - adults: Two generations, flying in April and May and again in August (UKMoths).

Distribution in Great Britain and Ireland: Widely distributed over much of the British Isles (UKMoths), including Lancaster (Greater Manchester, St. Helens (British leafminers) and Littleborough (UKMoths); Bedfordshire, Caernarvonshire, Cambridgeshire, Denbighshire, Derbyshire, East Cornwall, East Gloucestershire, East Suffolk, Glamorgan, Kincardine, Merionethshire, North Essex, North Hampshire, North Somerset, Shropshire, South Aberdeen, South Lancaster, South Wiltshire, Stafford, Warwickshire, West Suffolk and Worcestershire including Lancaster (NBN Gateway, includes Watsonian Vice Counties having records that fall within or overlap the vice county border at 10km resolution or better) and Northern Ireland (Karsholt and van Nieukerken in Fauna Europaea). See also British leafminers distribution map.

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 Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Czech Republic, Danish mainland, Estonia, Finland, French mainland, Germany, Hungary, Italian mainland, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Norwegian mainland, Poland, Romania, Russia - Central, East and Northwest, Sardinia, ? Sicily, Slovakia, 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.