Leaf-mine: Larva mines the leaves turning the upper part from red to black. In the spring the larva spins the leaves together and then mines the leaves- creating bladder mines (British leafminers).

The larva begins by making a corridor that generally traverses the leaf perpendicularly, and later remains visible as a brown ridge. Upon arrival at the other side this corridor is vacated through an unitidy hole (In some instances an exuvium was found here). Next the larva makes a a large, untidy full depth blotch, either in the same leaf or in a neighbouring one. The blotch, that may occupy the entire leaf, contains many coarse, oval, frass grains. The larva leaves the blotch through a large circular opening. Before moving to a new leaf to old and the new are connected with silk (Bladmineerders van Europa).

Larva: Comparatively large, dull grey-green with blackish-brown feet, pinacula, and thoracic plate. The head is shining black, the anal plate is light brown (Bladmineerders van Europa).

Pupa: Details unknown.

Adult: The adult is illustrated in UKMoths. The genitalia are not illustrated by the Lepidoptera Dissection Group (check for update).

Hosts in Britain:

Hosts elsewhere:

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

Time of year - adults: The adult moths are on the wing in June and July, and can be found flying on sunny afternoons (UKMoths).

Distribution in Great Britain and Ireland: A species generally of high moorland and mountains, occurring in Scotland from Perth northwards (UKMoths) including Cardiganshire, Easterness, Kincardine and South Aberdeen (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).

Also recorded in parts of Ireland, where it occurs at lower elevations (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 Austria, Czech Republic, Danish mainland, Estonia, Finland, French mainland, Germany, Italian mainland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norwegian mainland, Poland, Russia - North and Northwest, Slovakia, Spanish mainland, Sweden and Switzerland (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.