Mine of Stenoptilia zophodactylus on Gentiana sp. Image: Willem Ellis (Bladmineerders van Europa)

Leaf-mine: Initially the larva mines a basal leaf, subsequently feeding in flower buds (which turn yellow), opened flowers and foliage (UKMoths).

Full depth irregular blotch that may occupy an entire leaf. Frass in numerous, dispersed, brown grains. Some larvae remain in the mine until shortly before pupation, others leave the mine in an early stage and feed externally on the flower buds and developing fruits (Bladmineerders van Europa).

Larva: The camouflaged larvae vary from green to brownish yellow (UKMoths). The larva is also illustrated in Bladmineerders van Europa.

Pupa: The slender green or red pupa is attached to the foodplant (UKMoths).

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

Hosts in Britain:

Hosts elsewhere:

Time of year - larvae: Two or more generations from June to October or later. It is uncertain which stage (s) overwinter (UKMoths).

Time of year - adults: The adult can be found from July to September in two or more overlapping broods. It generally flies from dusk onwards, but it can be disturbed from low herbage in the daytime. It can easily be mistaken for a faded specimen of the common Stenoptilia bipunctidactyla, so moths taken near large amounts of the foodplants should be examined closely (UKMoths).

Distribution in Great Britain and Ireland: Widely distributed in southern Britain (UKMoths) including Bedfordshire, Caernarvonshire, Cambridgeshire, East Gloucestershire, East Kent, East Suffolk, East Sussex, Glamorgan, Herefordshire, North Essex, North Somerset, Pembrokeshire, South Lancaster, South Wiltshire, West Cornwall, West Gloucestershire, 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).

Usually locally restricted to sparsely vegetated habitats, such as sea-cliffs, sand hills, old sand and gravel workings and chalky or dry pastures, where its foodplants grow in quantity and the moth may be abundant (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 Albania, Andorra, Austria, Azores, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Corsica, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Danish mainland, Finland, French mainland, Germany, Gibraltar, Greek mainland, Hungary, Italian mainland, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malta, North Aegean Is., Poland, Portuguese mainland, Romania, Sardinia, Sicily, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spanish mainland, Sweden, Switzerland, The Netherlands and Yugoslavia (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.