Leaf-miner and case-bearer: The larva makes at least two cases and leaves the empty case by the cut out leaf section. The early cases are compressed with keels, dorsally and laterally. Later cases are more tubular and hairy (from the hairy leaves, used to make the case) (British leafminers).

Larva in a spathulate leaf case. It is 10-12 mm long, straght, brown, tubular, patently hairy (depending on the hostplant), bivalved. The mouth angle is rather variable, usually around 45°. An unusual character of this species is that after each moult the larva makes a new case; the old, vacated case is left at the place where the new one is made, at the leaf margin (Bladmineerders van Europa).

The case is illustrated in UKMoths.

Larva: Details unknown.

Pupa: Details unknown.

Adult: Not illustrated in UKMoths (check for update). The male and female genitalia are illustrated by the Lepidoptera Dissection Group.

Hosts in Britain:

Hosts elsewhere:

Time of year - larvae: September - May (British leafminers).

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

Distribution in Great Britain and Ireland: Mainly distributed in southern England and Wales (UKMoths) including Bedfordshire, East Gloucestershire, East Kent, East Suffolk, Glamorgan, North Somerset, Pembrokeshire, South Devon, South Essex, South Hampshire, South Wiltshire, Surrey and West Kent (NBN Gateway - N.B. includes Watsonian Vice Counties having publicly available records that fall within or overlap the vice county border at 10km resolution or better i.e. a record for a vice county may relate to an adjacent vice county - for included datasets see NBN Grid map below). A colony has also been located in York, so it may occur elsewhere (UKMoths).

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, Corsica, Crete, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, French mainland, Greek mainland, Hungary, Italian mainland, Latvia, Malta, North Aegean Is., Poland, Portuguese mainland, Romania, Sardinia, Sicily, Slovakia, Spanish mainland, Sweden, Switzerland and The Netherlands (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.