Seed-feeder
and case-bearer: Larva
feeds on seeds and withering flowers. The full-grown case is 6 mm
long, roughened with plant material attached to the case (British
leafminers).
Pupation
takes place within the case (UKMoths).
Larva: The larvae of moths have a head capsule and chewing mouthparts with opposable mandibles (see video of a gracillarid larva feeding), six thoracic legs and abdominal legs (see examples).
Pupa: The pupae of moths have visible head appendages, wings and legs which lie in sheaths (see examples).
Adult:
The adult is illustrated in UKMoths.
The species is included in mothdissection.co.uk.
Hosts in Great Britain and Ireland:
Hosts
elsewhere:
Time
of year - larvae: September to October (British
leafminers).
Time
of year - adults: A single generation, flying in July and August,
sometimes coming to light.
Distribution
in Great Britain and Ireland: Widespread in Southern England
and Wales, and is also found in Central Scotland (UKMoths);
including Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Cardiganshire, Carmarthenshire, Denbighshire,
Dorset, East Cornwall, East Norfolk, East Suffolk, Flintshire, Glamorgan,
Herefordshire, Hertfordshire, Huntingdonshire, Isle of Wight, Leicestershire, Merionethshire, Middlesex, Monmouthshire, North Devon, North Essex,
North Hampshire, North Northumberland, North Somerset, Pembrokeshire, Shropshire, South Hampshire, South Somerset, South Wiltshire, South-east Yorkshire,
South-west Yorkshire,
Stafford, Surrey, West Cornwall, West Gloucestershire, West Kent,
West Norfolk, West Suffolk and Worcestershire (NBN
Atlas)
and the Channel Is. (Fauna Europaea).
Also
recorded in the Republic of Ireland (Fauna Europaea).
Distribution
elsewhere: Widespread in continental Europe including Austria,
Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Danish mainland, Estonia,
Finland, French mainland, Hungary, Italian mainland, Latvia, Lithuania,
Norwegian mainland, Poland, Portuguese mainland, Romania, Russia
- South, Slovakia, Spanish mainland, Sweden, Switzerland, The Netherlands
and Ukraine (Fauna Europaea).
NBN Atlas links to known host species:
British and Irish Parasitoids in Britain and elsewhere:
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