Phyllonorycter pastorella

Description

Phyllonorycter pastorella is a moth of the family Gracillariidae. It is known from all of Europe (except the British Isles, Greece, Portugal, Denmark, Norway, Luxembourg and the Mediterranean islands), east to Russia, China and Japan. The wingspan is 8-9.5 mm. The larvae feed on Populus alba, Populus nigra, Salix alba, Salix babylonica, Salix fragilis, Salix lanata, Salix pentandra, Salix purpurea, Salix x sepulcralis, Salix triandra and Salix viminalis. They mine the leaves of their host plant. They create a large, lower-surface tentiform mine with one sharp fold. Pupation takes place within the mine in a cocoon. The frass is deposited in the opposite corner of the mine.