Leaf-miner:
The
slender larva mines the leaves, stems and upper rootstock (UKMoths). Oviposiiton at the leaf margin. From here the larva bores into the leaf tissue, and makes a descending mine that contains much brown frass. The larva hibernates in the lowest part of the mine or in a cavity gnawn in the rootstock. After the winter it mines again in the, by now, dead leaf or in the stem. Pupation internal (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).
The larva is illustrated in UKMoths. Body yellowish brown; all segments bear two greyish brown shields, one behind the other, in fact strongly enlarged and fused pinacula. Head and prothoracic plate shinign light brown, anal plate right brown (Bladmineerders van Europa).
Pupa: The pupae of moths have visible head appendages, wings and legs which lie in sheaths (see examples).
Adult:
The adult is illustrated in UKMoths and the Encyclopedia
of Life. The species is included in mothdissection.co.uk.
Hosts in Great Britain and Ireland:
Hosts
elsewhere:
Time
of year - larvae: September to May (UKMoths).
Time
of year - adults: The adults fly in July and August and are
attracted to light (UKMoths).
Distribution
in Great Britain and Ireland: Scarce and locally distributed
in marshes, fens and other wet habitats in south and south-east
England, including Dorset and Gloucester, with some records as far
north as Chester and Lancashire (UKMoths);
Bedfordshire, Berkshire, Cambridgeshire, Derbyshire,
Dorset, East Kent, East Norfolk, East Suffolk, East Sussex, Flintshire, Glamorgan,
Hertfordshire, Huntingdonshire, Isle of Wight, Leicestershire, Monmouthshire, North Essex, North Hampshire, North Somerset, Northamptonshire, Shropshire, South Devon, South Essex, South Hampshire, South Lancashire, South-east Yorkshire, South-west Yorkshire, Stafford,
Surrey, West Gloucestershire, West Kent, West Lancashire, West Norfolk, West Suffolk and Westmorland (NBN
Atlas).
Distribution
elsewhere: Widespread in continental Europe including Austria,
Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic,
Danish mainland, Estonia, European Turkey, Finland, French mainland,
Germany, Greek mainland, Hungary, Italian mainland, Latvia, Lithuania,
Luxembourg, Macedonia, Norwegian mainland, Poland, Portuguese mainland,
Romania, Russia - Central, East and South, Sardinia, Slovakia, Spanish
mainland, Sweden, The Netherlands and Ukraine (Fauna Europaea).
NBN Atlas links to known host species:
British and Irish Parasitoids in Britain and elsewhere: Currently unknown.
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