Leaf-mine: The mine is rounded, between veins. The lower epidermis with several small creases. The leaf may fold downwards if mine is at margin (British leafminers).

The mine begins as an inconspicuous lower surface epidermal corridor, beginning at an iridescent egg shell. This corridor is followed, and mostly replaced, by a relatively small, lower-surface, tentiform mine with many weak folds. When the mine happens to lie close to the leaf margin the leaf may fold downwards over the mine. Pupa in the mine, dark brown - black, in a loosely spun cocoon. Frass accumulated in a corner of the mine (Bladmineerders van Europa).

Larva: The larva is illustrated in Bladmineerders van Europa.

Pupa: The pupa is illustrated in Bladmineerders van Europa.

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

Comments: Buhr (1935a) additionally mentions Acer saccharinum (Bladmineerders van Europa) as a host plant.

Hosts in Britain:

Hosts elsewhere:

Time of year - larvae: July, October (British leafminers).

Time of year - adults: The moths are on the wing in May and August, and can be found resting on the trunks of sycamore, but being so small are difficult to find (UKMoths).

Distribution in Great Britain and Ireland: Widespread in Britain including Ayrshire, Banff, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Caernarvonshire, Cambridgeshire, Cheshire, Denbighshire, Derbyshire, East Kent, East Norfolk, East Suffolk, Elgin, Flintshire, Glamorgan, Herefordshire, Hertfordshire, Huntingdonshire, Kincardine, Merionethshire, Middlesex, Monmouthshire, North Aberdeen, North Devon, North Essex, North Hampshire, North Somerset, North Wiltshire, North-west Yorkshire, Shropshire, South Aberdeen, South Devon, South Essex, South Hampshire, South Lancaster, South Wiltshire, South-west Yorkshire, Stafford, Surrey, West Gloucestershire, West Kent, West Lancaster, West Norfolk, West Suffolk, Westmorland 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). Also recorded in Northern Ireland. See also British leafminers distribution map.

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, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Danish mainland, French mainland, Germany, Hungary, Italian mainland, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Russia - South, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland, The Netherlands and Ukraine (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: