UKMoths Phyllocnistis saligna - Distribution map
Please note that the NBN Gateway map service has been terminated as of 1 April 2017.
As soon as a replacement map service is available, distribution maps will hopefully appear here again.
In the meantime, you can get some idea of distribution from the NBN Atlas website.
15.09 BF367
Phyllocnistis saligna
(Zeller, 1839)
Wingspan c.7 mm.
This rather local species is distributed in the south and south-east of England, and is generally uncommon. The tiny white adult moths are at large in two generations, in July and from September through to April. The overwintering adults are sometimes found in thatch or haystacks.
The larva feeds on willow, particularly on purple willow (Salix purpurea), sometimes on other smooth-leaved willows, such as crack willow (S. fragilis). The larva mines in the lower epidermis, forming a translucent mine, then moves into the twig via the petiole, eventually returning to a second leaf.
Larval mines are best looked for in June, or in August/September.
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