Last modified: Nov. 26, 2024, 2:18 p.m.
A widespread and fairly common species in Belgium.
Native
Head brown, mixed with white scales: forewing ground colour brown to golden brown; white pattern consisting of a basal streak, not edged and mostly a little sinuous; an indistinct patch on the dorsum near the base; four costal and three dorsal striae, the basal ones often merged to form a chevron.
A rather small, elongated tentiform mine on the underside of a leaf, in many cases close to the leaf margin, causing the leaf to fold over the mine. The dark frass is concentrated in one corner of the mine.
See also gracillariidae.net and bladmineerders.be.
A flimsy, whitish or yellowish cocoon. Pupal skin reddish brown.
The species hibernates in the pupal stage, among leaf litter on the ground. After the emergence of the adult, the pupal skin protrudes from the mine.
Two generations a year in April–May and August–September.
The species lives on Salix, with a preference for Salix caprea, but it has also been recorded from Salix aurita and S. cinerea.