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Leaf-miner: The mine is underside, small, at or near midrib. The lower epidermis with one strong crease (British leafminers).

Lower-surface tentiform mine, not longer than 20 mm, usually in the axil of a thick lateral vein, with one strong length fold. Pupa in a tough off-white cocoon that is fastened to the floor and the roof of the mine. Almost all frass is incorporated in the sides of the cocoon (visible with a loupe in transparancy as two dark lines). In autumn not infrequently five or more mines in one leaf (Bladmineerders van Europa).

The mine 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).

Pale green (Bladmineerders van Europa).

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

The cremaster is illustrated in British leafminers. The pupa is illustrated in Bladmineerders van Europa.

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

Hosts in Great Britain and Ireland:

Betulaceae
Alnus				British leafminers
Alnus				UKMoths
Alnus	cordata	Italian Alder		Pitkin & Plant
Alnus	cordata	Italian Alder		UKMoths
Alnus	glutinosa	Alder		Pitkin & Plant
Alnus	incana	Grey Alder		Pitkin & Plant

Hosts elsewhere:

Betulaceae
Alnus				Belgian Lepidoptera
Alnus	cordata	Italian Alder		Belgian Lepidoptera
Alnus	cordata	Italian Alder		Bladmineerders van Europa
Alnus	glutinosa	Alder		Belgian Lepidoptera
Alnus	glutinosa	Alder		Bladmineerders van Europa
Alnus	incana	Grey Alder		Belgian Lepidoptera
Alnus	incana	Grey Alder		Bladmineerders van Europa
Alnus	oregona			Bladmineerders van Europa
Alnus	viridis	Green Alder		Bladmineerders van Europa

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

Time of year - adults: Two generations; in May and again in August (UKMoths).

Distribution in Great Britain and Ireland: Quite a common species throughout the British Isles (UKMoths) including Anglesey, Banffshire, Bedfordshire, Breconshire, Caernarvonshire, Cambridgeshire, Carmarthenshire, Cheshire, Cumberland, Denbighshire, Derbyshire, Dorset, Dumfrishire,. East Norfolk, East Suffolk, East Sutherland, Flintshire, Glamorgan, Herefordshire, Hertfordshire, Huntingdonshire, Kincardineshire, Merionethshire, Mid-west Yorkshire, Middlesex, Monmouthshire, North Aberdeenshire, North Devon, North Essex, North Hampshire, North Northumberland, North Somerset, North Wiltshire, Pembrokeshire, Shropshire, South Aberdeenshire, South Lancashire, South Wiltshire, Stafford, Surrey, Warwickshire, West Gloucestershire, West Kent, West Norfolk, West Ross, West Suffolk, Westmorland 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 Albania, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Danish mainland, Estonia, Finland, French mainland, Germany, Hungary, Italian mainland, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Republic of Moldova, Norwegian mainland, Poland, Romania, Russia - Central, North and Northwest, Sardinia, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland, The Netherlands, Ukraine and Yugoslavia (Fauna Europaea).

NBN Atlas links to known host species:

British and Irish Parasitoids in Britain and elsewhere: