Phyllonorycter pastorella
# Phyllonorycter pastorella

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, P. nigra, Salix alba, S. babylonica, Salix × fragilis, S. lanata, S. pentandra, S. purpurea, Salix × sepulcralis, S. triandra and S. viminalis. They mine the leaves of their host plant. They create a large, lower-surface tentiform mine with one sharp fold. The cocoon is formed within the mine, where pupation takes place. The frass is deposited at one end of the mine, while the cocoon forms at the opposite end.

