Mompha langiella is a moth

Moth

A moth is an insect closely related to the butterfly, both being of the order Lepidoptera. Moths form the majority of this order; there are thought to be 150,000 to 250,000 different species of moth , with thousands of species yet to be described...

 of the Momphidae

Momphidae

Momphidae is a family of moths. These tend to be rather small moths with a wingspan of up to 21 mm. The wings are held folded over the body at rest...

 family. It is found in most of Europe

Europe

Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

, except parts of the Balkan Peninsula and the Mediterranean Islands

Mediterranean Sea

The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...

.
The wingspan

Wingspan

The wingspan of an airplane or a bird, is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777 has a wingspan of about ; and a Wandering Albatross caught in 1965 had a wingspan of , the official record for a living bird.The term wingspan, more technically extent, is...

 is 10-11 mm. Adults are on wing from April to September.

The larvae feed on Circaea x intermedia, Circaea lutetiana

Circaea lutetiana

Circaea lutetiana is a plant in the evening primrose family, Onagraceae.The genus name comes from the enchantress Circe of Greek mythology and the generic designation is derived from Lutetia, the Latin name for Paris. Paris at one time was known as the "Witch City"...

, Chamerion angustifolium, Epilobium collinum, Epilobium hirsutum

Epilobium hirsutum

Epilobium hirsutum is a flowering plant belonging to the willowherb genus Epilobium in the family Onagraceae. It is commonly known as the great willowherb, great hairy willowherb or hairy willowherb. Local names include codlins-and-cream, apple-pie and cherry-pie.It is a tall, perennial plant,...

, Epilobium montanum

Epilobium montanum

Epilobium montanum or Broad-leaved Willowherb is a species of willowherb....

and Epilobium parviflorum

Epilobium parviflorum

Epilobium parviflorum, commonly known as Smallflower Hairy Willowherb, is a herbaceous perennial plant belonging to the Onagraceae family.-Etymology:...

. They mine

Leaf miner

Leaf miner is a term used to describe the larvae of many different species of insect which live in and eat the leaf tissue of plants. The vast majority of leaf-mining insects are moths , sawflies and flies , though some beetles and wasps also exhibit this behavior.Like Woodboring beetles, leaf...

 the leaves of their host plant. The mine starts as a full depth corridor. The frass

Frass

Frass is the fine powdery material phytophagous insects pass as waste after digesting plant parts. It causes plants to excrete chitinase due to high chitin levels, it is a natural bloom stimulant, and has high nutrient levels. Frass is known to have abundant amoeba, beneficial bacteria, and fungi...

is black and deposited in an irregular central line. Later, the mine has the form of a blotch with frass in irregular clouds. The blotch may be a continuation of the corridor, but may be found on a different leaf. There are often several mines in a single leaf. The mines are white at first but turn brown later. Pupation takes place outside of the mine.