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Leaf-spinner: The larva feeds below the surface of the water between spun leaves of several aquatic plant (Belgian Lepidoptera).

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).

Pupation takes place in a large, pinkish, oval cocoon attached to a stem or debris (Belgian Lepidoptera).

Adult: The adult is illustrated in UKMoths (by Keith Dover) and Belgian Lepidoptera. The species is included in mothdissection.co.uk.

Hosts in Great Britain and Ireland:

Ceratophyllaceae
Ceratophyllum	demersum	Rigid Hornwort		Pitkin & Plant
Hydrocharitaceae
Elodea				Pitkin & Plant
Nymphaeaceae
Nuphar	lutea	Yellow Water-lily		Pitkin & Plant

Hosts elsewhere:

Ceratophyllaceae
Ceratophyllum	demersum	Rigid Hornwort		Belgian Lepidoptera
Hydrocharitaceae
Elodea				Belgian Lepidoptera
Nymphaeaceae
Nuphar	lutea	Yellow Water-lily		Belgian Lepidoptera
Potamogetonaceae
Potamogeton				Belgian Lepidoptera

Time of year - larvae: Currently unknown.

Time of year - adults: Flies from June to August, being attracted to light (UKMoths).

Distribution in Great Britain and Ireland: Found locally in suitable habitat mainly in the southern half of Britain (UKMoths) including Anglesey, Bedfordshire, Breconshire, Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire, Carmarthenshire, Cheshire, Derbyshire, Dorset, East Cornwall, East Kent, East Norfolk, East Suffolk, Flintshire, Glamorgan, Hertfordshire, Huntingdonshire, Isle of Wight, Leicestershire, Middlesex, North Essex, North Hampshire, North Lincolnshire, North Somerset, North Wiltshire, Shropshire, South Devon, South Essex, South Hampshire, South Lancashire, South-east Yorkshire, Stafford, Surrey, West Cornwall, West Gloucestershire, West Norfolk, West Suffolk, West Sussex, Westmorland and Worcestershire (NBN Atlas).

Also recorded in the Republic of Ireland (Fauna Europaea and National Biodiversity Data Centre Map).

Distribution elsewhere: Widespread in continental Europe including Austria, Balearic Is., Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Corsica, Croatia, Czech Republic, Danish mainland, Estonia, Finland, French mainland, Germany, Greek mainland, Hungary, Italian mainland, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Norwegian mainland, Poland, Portuguese mainland, Romania, Russia - Central, East and South, Sardinia, Sicily, Slovakia, Spanish mainland, Sweden, Switzerland and The Netherlands (Fauna Europaea).

NBN Atlas links to known host species:

British and Irish Parasitoids in Britain and elsewhere: