Last modified: Sept. 14, 2023, 2:51 p.m.
This is a very rare and rather local species in the southern part of Belgium.
Native
The fore wings are dark ochreous with a greyish shine.
The antennae are ringed alternately black and white till the tip.
The wing span is 10–13 mm.
It is a greyish-black composite case reaching a length of 5–6 mm. The case, having a strongly curved distal end, is composed of numerous rings, cut out of the hostplant.
The mouth angle is 45°.
See also bladmineerders.be.
The eggs are oviposited at the bottom of a leaf. The first year, the larva makes only the curved part of the case. Subsequently, from the leafs, the larva cuts out a lot of consecutive rings to compose the case. The development of the larva takes two years. The larvae are fully grown in September or in April the next year.
The adults fly in one generation a year: from late May till early July.
The larva feeds on mainly on Vaccinium vitis-idaea but also on other Vaccinium species. Also the plant genus Pyrola is mentioned in literature.