Leaf-miner
and case-bearer: The initial mine is like that of a nepticulid. The case is made
form excised leaf portions, which are added to the oral end, leading
to the ringed appearance. The larva causes the leaf to have white
blotches. Identification cannot be made on these alone as similar
blotches can be made by early instar larvae of the Common Blue butterfly
(Polyommatus icarus) (British
leafminers).
Oviposition
at the leaf underside, mostly in a vein axil. The larva begins by
making a narrow winding corridor with much frass in a broad central
line. The corridor reminds that of a nepticulid (but the egg has
a finely reticulate surface, unlike the smooth nepticulid egg.)
In the end the corridor widens into an oval blotch, usually close
to the leaf margin, out of which the first case is made. The full
grown larva in a greyish brown composite leaf case of about 6 mm,
attached to the underside of a leaf. The oldest quarter of the case
is bivalved, laterally compressed, and is at an angle of 70°
with the anterior part of the case. The mouth angle is around 40°
(Bladmineerders van Europa).
The
case is also illustrated in UKMoths.
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).
Adult:
The adult is illustrated in UKMoths.
The species is included in mothdissection.co.uk.
Hosts in Great Britain and Ireland:
Hosts
elsewhere:
Time
of year - larvae: September-May (British
leafminers).
Time
of year - adults: Mainly in July (UKMoths).
Distribution
in Great Britain and Ireland: Found widely in a variety of
habitats throughout the UK (British
leafminers) including Anglesey, Banffshire, Bedfordshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Caernarvonshire,
Cardiganshire, Carmarthenshire, Cheshire, Cumberland, Denbighshire, Derbyshire, Dorset, Dunbartonshire, East Cornwall, East Kent, East Norfolk, East Ross, East Suffolk, East Sutherland, Flintshire, Glamorgan,
Haddington, Herefordshire, Hertfordshire, Huntingdonshire, Isle of Wight, Kincardineshire, Kirkudbrightshire, Leicestershire, Merionethshire, Montgomeryshire, North Aberdeenshire, North Devon, North Essex, North Hampshire,
North Northumberland, North Somerset, North-east Yorkshire, North Wiltshire, Outer Hebrides, Pembrokeshire, Shropshire, South Hampshire, South Northumberland, South-east Yorkshire, South-west Yorkshire,
Stafford, Surrey, West Cornwall, West Kent, West Lancashire, West Norfolk, West Suffolk, Westmorland, Wigtownshire and Worcestershire (NBN
Atlas),
the Channel Is. (Fauna Europaea).
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, Greek mainland, Hungary, Italian mainland, Latvia,
Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Norwegian mainland, Poland, Portuguese
mainland, Sardinia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spanish mainland, Sweden,
Switzerland and The Netherlands (Fauna Europaea).
NBN Atlas links to known host species:
British and Irish Parasitoids in Britain and elsewhere:
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