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Leaf-miner: A small Phyllonorycter-like mine initially, but with brown rather than green lower epidermis. Later in one or more successive cones formed by folding downwards the edge or tip of a leaf (British leafminers).

The mine begins as an inconspicuous lower surface corridor, mainly recognisable by its brown line of frass. In the next larval stage a lower-surface blotch is made, that soon develops into a tentiform mine; its epidermis turns brown. Frass in a clump in a corner of the mine. After leaving the mine the larva continues feeding in a downwards folded leaf margin, that is fixed with silk (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 Bladmineerders van Europa.

Parornix betulae larva, lateral Image: © Willem Ellis (Bladmineerders van Europa)

Pupa: The pupae of moths have visible head appendages, wings and legs which lie in sheaths (see examples).

In folded leaf-edge (British leafminers).

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:

Betulaceae
Betula	alleghaniensis			Bladmineerders van Europa
Betula	grossa			Bladmineerders van Europa
Betula	humilis			Bladmineerders van Europa
Betula	obscura			Bladmineerders van Europa
Betula	papyrifera	Paper Birch		Bladmineerders van Europa
Betula	pendula	Silver Birch		Belgian Lepidoptera
Betula	pendula	Silver Birch		Bladmineerders van Europa
Betula	pubescens	Downy Birch		Belgian Lepidoptera
Betula	pubescens	Downy Birch		Bladmineerders van Europa
Betula	nana	Dwarf Birch		Bladmineerders van Europa
Betula	utilis			Bladmineerders van Europa

Time of year - larvae: June, September-October (British leafminers) and are commonest on birch seedlings (UKMoths).

Time of year - adults: The adults fly in May and August (UKMoths).

Distribution in Great Britain and Ireland: Common throughout the British Isles, in heaths and open woodland (UKMoths) including Anglesey, Banffshire, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Caernarvonshire, Cambridgeshire, Carmarthenshire, Denbighshire, Dorset, Dumfireshire, Durham, East Cornwall, East Gloucestershire, East Kent, East Norfolk, East Ross, East Suffolk, East Sussex, Easterness, Glamorgan, Herefordshire, Huntingdonshire, Isle of Wight, Kirkudbrightshire, Leicestershire, Linlithgow, Merionethshire, Middlesex, Montgomeryshire, North Essex, North Hampshire, North Northumberland, North Somerset, North Wiltshire, Nottinghamshire, Pembrokeshire, Shropshire, South Aberdeenshire, South Northumberland, South Wiltshire, South-west Yorkshire, Stafford, Stirlingshire, Surrey, Warwickshire, West Cornwall, West Gloucestershire, West Kent, West Norfolk, West Perthshire, West Ross, West Suffolk, West Sussex, Westerness, Westmorland and Worcestershire (NBN Atlas).

See also British leafminers distribution map.

Also recorded in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland (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, Romania, Russia - Central, East, North, Northwest and South, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland, The Netherlands and Ukraine, Also recorded in East Palaearctic (Fauna Europaea).

NBN Atlas links to known host species:

British and Irish Parasitoids in Britain and elsewhere: