Last modified: Oct. 18, 2023, 10:06 a.m.
A local and very rare species in Belgium, becoming more scarce in the last decennia.
Native
Head brown mixed with a few white hairs; forewing ground colour golden brown, pattern consisting of four costal and three dorsal white striae and a slightly sinuous white basal line.
A large, oval, tentiform mine on the underside of a leaf, usually between two side veins; rather many longitudinal folds, which might be difficult to see because of the many hairs on the leaves; upperside puckered. The frass is concentrated in one corner of the mine. The mine of this species cannot be distinguished from that of Phyllonorycter hilarella.
See also gracillariidae.net and bladmineerders.be.
A strong, golden-brownish cocoon inside the mine; pupa light brown to golden brown.
It is impossible to distinguish the mine, cocoon or pupa from the related Phyllonorycter hilarella.
The species hibernates as a pupa.
Two generations a year: May–June and August.
The monophagous larva only lives on Salix caprea, although other Salix species have been recorded, like Salix appendiculata, S. aurita and S. cinerea.
