Orthotelia sparganella

Wingspan 20 to 28 mm. A fairly distinctive species, with a rather tent like body shape and with an ochreous or brownish wing colour that usually has noticeably paler venation and a faint row of darker dots near the dorsal edge of the wing.  The larvae mine the stems or leaves of waterside plants such as Bur-reed, Iris, Reed Sweet-grass and other rushes.

Adult leaf mine

Provide backlit photo of leafmine and note host species

Occupies wet localities such as ponds and canals.

The adults fly in July and August and come sparingly to light.

Bur-reed (Sparganium), Iris, Reed Sweet-grass (Glyceria maxima) and other rushes of wet marginal vegetation may be mined.  The larvae mine the leaves or stems.

It is locally distributed from southern England northwards to southern Scotland. In the Butterfly Conservation’s Microlepidoptera Report 2011 this species was classified as local.

It appears to be uncommon in Leicestershire and Rutland, where there are few records. L&R Moth Group status = D (rare or rarely recorded).

http://www.leafmines.co.uk/html/Lepidoptera/O.sparganella.htm

https://bladmineerders.nl/parasites/animalia/arthropoda/insecta/lepidoptera/ditrysia/yponomeutoidea/glyphipterigidae/orthoteliinae/orthotelia/orthotelia-sparganella/