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Leaf-miner: The leaf surface is often contorted. Can be confused with P. dubitella (British leafminers).

Rather large, lower-surface tentiform mine, mostly between two side veins. The upperside is fairly strongly inflated. The underside has many narrow folds, not easily seen because of the indumentum at the underside of the leaf. Frass pakced in a corner of the mine. Neither mine, cocoon nor pupa can be distinguished from those of Ph. dubitella (Gregor and Patocka, 2001a) (Bladmineerders van Europa).

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).

Pupa light brown in a tough, golden cocoon (Bladmineerders van Europa). The cremaster is illustrated in British leafminers.

Adult: The adult is illustrated in UKMoths. The species is included in mothdissection.co.uk.

Comments: Primarily on Salix caprea. Hartig (1939a) adds Salix appendiculata (Bladmineerders van Europa).

Hosts in Great Britain and Ireland:

Salicaceae
Salix				British leafminers
Salix				UKMoths
Salix				Pitkin & Plant
Salix	caprea	Goat Willow		Pitkin & Plant

Hosts elsewhere:

Salicaceae
Salix	aurita	Eared Willow		Belgian Lepidoptera
Salix	aurita	Eared Willow		Bladmineerders van Europa
Salix	caprea	Goat Willow		Belgian Lepidoptera
Salix	caprea	Goat Willow		Bladmineerders van Europa
Salix	cinerea	Goat Willow		Belgian Lepidoptera
Salix	cinerea	Goat Willow		Bladmineerders van Europa

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

Time of year - adults: The species is bivoltine, with a flight period in late May and June and again in August (UKMoths).

Distribution in Great Britain and Ireland: A common moth, found widespread throughout Britain (UKMoths) including Anglesey, Ayrshire, Bedfordshire, Breconshire, Caernarvonshire, Cambridgeshire, Cardinganshire, Denbighshire, Derbyshire, Dorset, Dunbartonshire, Durham, East Cornwall, East Kent, East Norfolk, East Ross, East Suffolk, East Suffolk, Easterness, Edinburgh, Elgin, Flintshire, Glamorgan, Haddington, Herefordshire, Hertforshire, Huntingdonshire, Isle of Wight, Kincardineshire, Kirkudbrightshire, Linlithgow, Merionethshire, North Aberdeenshire, North Devon, North Hampshire, North Northumberland, North Somerset, North Wiltshire, Northamptonshire, Radnorshire, Shropshire, South Aberdeenshire, South Lancashire, South Somerset, South Northumberland, South-west Yorkshire, Stafford, Stirlingshire, West Cornwall, West Gloucestershire, West Lancashire, West Norfolk, West Perthshire, West Suffolk, Westmorland, Wigtownshire, and Worcestershire (NBN Atlas).

See also British leafminers distribution map.

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

Distribution elsewhere: Widespread in continental Europe including Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Danish mainland, Estonia, Finland, French mainland, Germany, Hungary, Italian mainland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norwegian mainland, Poland, Russia - Central, East, North and Northwest, Slovakia, Spanish mainland, Sweden, Switzerland, The Netherlands and Ukraine. Also recorded in the East Palaearctic (Fauna Europaea).

NBN Atlas links to known host species:

British and Irish Parasitoids in Britain and elsewhere: