Head white; forewing ground colour white, a small ochreous or greyish patch at the dorsum near the base of the wing; distal and apical area of the wing somewhat darker with yellowish or ochreous scales; four costal striae of which the second is prolonged to the dorsum to form a transversal band; a conspicuous black dot in the apical area from which three dark grey, brown or blackish groups of hair depart into the cilia, forming a horizontal "V" and a small hook drooping.

Transparant yellowish with a light brown head capsule.

A very long, broad, corridor on the upperside of a leaf, without ever crossing itself. The frass is concentrated in a central, but hardly visible frassline. It looks like the mucus left on a snail trail.
See also gracillariidae.net and bladmineerders.be.

No real cocoon, but some white spinning at a leaf margin.

The eggs are oviposited on the upper side of a leaf, rarely on the underside.
Pupation under a white, silken membrane, spun at a leaf margin at the end of the mine. The leaf folds over the membrane.
Adults are active at dusk. The species hibernate in the adult stage, hiding in thatch or hayricks.

The species mainly lives on Populus nigra, but it has been recorded from various other Populus species, like Populus deltoides and P. x canadensis. Records of P. alba, P. canescens or P. tremula are probably related to the other Phyllocnistis species Phyllocnistis labyrinthella, P. saligna and P. xenia.

Plantations of poplar trees, road sides, parks.