Leaf-miner and case-bearer: The larva forms a case, approximately 11-12 mm long, beneath a thistle leaf, although burdock may sometimes be used. The shape of the ochreous case varies as, when being enlarged, it is elongated first, and the girth increased subsequently (UKMoths).

Yellow-brown to light grey tubular silken case with darker length lines. The case is fairly large (up to 17 mm) and very slender. The rear end is three-valved, the mouth angle about 50°. The larva feeds at the underside of the leaf (Bladmineerders van Europa).

The mine is also illustrated in British leafminers.

Larva: The larva is illustrated in Bladmineerders van Europa.

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: Feeding takes place July - September, and most larvae diapause full fed until pupation in May. Some larvae complete feeding in April (UKMoths). August to October (British leafminers).

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

Distribution in Great Britain and Ireland: The moth is often common in habitats where its foodplants occur, and is distributed throughout England, Wales and southern Scotland (UKMoths) including including Anglesey, Bedfordshire, Caernarvonshire, Cambridgeshire, Denbighshire, Derbyshire, East Gloucestershire, East Suffolk, Glamorgan, Huntingdonshire, Kincardine, Leicestershire, Middlesex, North Essex, North Hampshire, North Somerset, North Wiltshire, Nottinghamshire, Shropshire, South Lancaster, South Wiltshire, South-west Yorkshire, Stafford, Surrey, Warwickshire, West Gloucestershire, West Norfolk, West Suffolk and Worcestershire (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) and the Channel Is. (Karsholt and van Nieukerken in Fauna Europaea).

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 Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Danish mainland, Estonia, Finland, French mainland, Germany, Greek mainland, Hungary, Italian mainland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norwegian mainland, Poland, Romania, Russia - Central and South, Slovakia, Spanish mainland, Sweden, The Netherlands and Ukraine. Also recorded from Near East (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.