Food Plant: Juniperus communis (Juniper), Chamaecyparis spp (Cupressus), Thuja sp. (Cedar)

Egg: Usually close to a young shoot

Mine: June-March

Notes: The shoots turn a whiter colour as the larva mines them, but age to a brown colour. The larva makes a hole in the shoot and brown frass may accumulate there. The larva can swap shoots. The mines of A.cupressella look very similar but the phenology is different as A.cupressella larvae feed in August to May whereas those of A.trifasciata feed November to March. The larva of A .trifasciata has a dark head (as shown) whereas that of A.cupressella has a light brown head. The larva leaves the mine in February or March to pupate in a silken cocoon in a sheltered site. Mine shown on Cupressus x leylandii.

Data: 06.xii.2014 (top two photos); 05.xii.2004 (bottom photo), Chorlton, Manchester, VC59

Image:© Ben Smart