Wingspan 9–11 mm. A not distinctively marked moth with greyish or light brown wing with darker striations and three brown irregular transverse bands. A black terminal line, 3 to 5 pairs of short white costal strigulae, these becoming less pronounced from apex to mid-costa. An often incomplete white curved stria from the most distal strigula to the termen. The male doesn't have a costal fold.

Light yellow-brown body with a black head, nape and anal shield dark brown.

See also bladmineerders.be

The larva mines a few needles completely out, then hibernates in a needle. After hibernation another number of needles is completely mined out from their base. The mined needles are held together by a frass-incrusted silken tube. Most frass in the tube, a small fraction in the mines. The larva mines all its life.
Pupation in a white cocoon in the larval tube or amongst leaf-litter on the ground.
They are active in afternoon sunshine and at dusk and later come to light.

The young larva lives on Picea abies or Picea sitchensis.

It inhabits coniferous and mixed woodland, plantations, parks and gardens.