Last modified: Nov. 2, 2024, 12:19 p.m.
A fairly common species throughout Belgium.
Native
The white caterpillar has a brownish head.
The mine usually starts not far from the main vein as a narrow corridor, which is almost completely filled with black frass and, later on, turns into a blotch mine that usually covers the initial gallery. Nevertheless the latter remains clearly visible.
See also bladmineerders.be
Pupation occurs in a tough silken cocoon.
The egg is laid in young leaves. The mine usually starts not far from the main vein as a narrow corridor which is almost completely filled with black frass and, later on, turns into a blotch mine that usually covers the initial gallery. Nevertheless the latter remains clearly visible. In the blotch mine, the black frass lies in spaghetti-like threads. The caterpillar hibernates in the pupal stage in a hard silken cocoon in the soil.
The adults are active in full sun and, later on, occasionally come to light.
The adults fly from the end of March till early May.