12.048 BF200 – Common Fern Moth – Psychoides filicivora – (Meyrick, 1937)
Adult Micro: CAT 2 – Can be confused with other species – Leaf-miner: CAT L – The leaf or a Photo required – 
Larval Case: C1 – Distinctive Species –
– click for General Verification Guidelines | – click for Specific Verification Guidelines
Larval Case: C1 – Distinctive Species – – click for General Verification Guidelines | – click for Specific Verification Guidelines 
– Uncertain/Unknown – Insufficient Data 
– Leaf-miner 
– Day-flying
– care required in the identification process, as confusion with similar species is likely – quality photographs required. Confusion Species: As adult – Monopsis obviella
ID pointers: A pale golden yellow head, with a dark brown forewing that has a purple-bronze sheen. An obvious pale dorsal spot.Three to four pale spots around the termen and the wings are heavily fringed.
Distribution: (Last record: 21 October 2025 at Little Hayfield ) – Appears to be locally common where Harts-tongue Fern is found. A number of colonies discovered at Clake Park & Long Clough – Mines and larvae observed.
General Comment: Notes by Christian Heintzen on image dated 21/10/2025 – on lower surface of Hart’s Tongue (Asplenium scolopendrium) > an untidy heaps of sporangia, occasional feeding on leaf surface > larva with pale brown head and prothoracic plates (a) and colourless anal plate (b)
Mine Period Additional: None.
Mine ID Difficulty:
– Easy to identify, generally the leaf mine is distinctive and unlikely to be confused with other species. Mine Type/s: Blotch
Mine Feeding Method/s: Not Recorded
Mine Comment: P. filicivora is easily confused with its close relative, Psychoides verhuella (Hart’s-tongue Moth). The key difference lies in the larva: P. filicivora larvae have a brown head and lack a black anal plate, whereas P. verhuella larvae have a black head. The larva typically hides on the underside of the fern frond. It covers itself in a loose, untidy mass of the fern’s sporangia (spore cases) while feeding. They primarily consume the sporangia and the lower surface of the frond, sometimes creating an irregular blotch mine within the leaf tissue itself.
*** Last updated on 10 December 2025 by TD ***
Last Recorded Year: 2025
Last Recorded By – Christian Heintzen
Last Recorded General Area – Little Hayfield
Selected Images: Buxton, Derbyshire – Steve Orridge © / Larva and Sporangia mass – Calke Park – Graham Finch© / Long Clough and Little Hayfield – Christian Heintzen©
Image Gallery
Temporal Distribution Chart
Adults: (between 2012 - 2025) | Immatures: (between 2010 - 2025)
(click legend below to show/hide datasets)
Distribution Map for Psychoides filicivora
Found 30 records
↳ from 2026+
↳ 26 from 2020 - 2025
↳ 4 from Before 2020
↳ from 2026+
↳ 26 from 2020 - 2025
↳ 4 from Before 2020
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Bedrock Geology ** indirectly affects moth distribution by influencing the type of habitat and food plants available in an area. In turn, this may affect the types of moths that can thrive, or where they can most likely be found.
NBN Atlas UK Distribution for – Psychoides filicivora
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Note – the NBN Atlas datasets are listed in the map below and vary in their currency (uptodateness) – however,
the map does give a general indication of the moth's distribution across the UK.
Monthly Records By Year:
Psychoides filicivora
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )
Monthly Counts By Year:
Psychoides filicivora
( data is based on 'Adult' stage records only )
First/Last Recorded Dates: Psychoides filicivora
Adult-only & Anything [Larvae, Pupae, Adult, Mines]
Shading shows moth presence between dates
Click the colour discs below to Select/De-select as Required
Recordings By Year: Psychoides filicivora
( All data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )
Annual Growth Rate (AGR): Psychoides filicivora
AGR: 2.48% | Total % Change: 37.5%
Hectad (10kmx10km) Coverage: Psychoides filicivora
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )
Flight Periods – Indicative –vs– Recorded Data
Psychoides filicivora
Psychoides filicivora
Flight Period chart – the grey hatched area above, which can cross one or more months, pictorially represents the best guess we have for this moth's flight periods [month/s]. The coloured lines represent the actual months seen in flight, from site observation records received between 2020-2026.
Mine Periods – Indicative –vs– Recorded Data
Psychoides filicivora
Psychoides filicivora
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )
Mine Period chart – the grey hatched area above, which can cross one or more months, pictorially represents the best guess we have for this moth's mine periods [month/s]. The coloured lines represent the actual months seen mining, from site observation records received between 2020-2026.
Records Behind the Map and Charts - Psychoides filicivora – 30 records available
Listed by Year - descending - scroll across to see all table columns
| Site Name | Tetrad | Date | Count | Stage | Recorder | Source | RecordKey |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Glossop, Little Hayfield | SK08J | 21/10/2025 | 2 | Leaf-mine | Heintzen, Christian | vc57_irecords_extract | iBRC47521368 |
| sheffield | SK38M | 05/06/2025 | 1 | adult | Turner, Jan | vc57_irecords_extract | iBRC42175491 |
| Belper | SK34U | 30/05/2025 | 1 | adult | Evans, Dave | vc57_irecords_extract | iBRC41953116 |
| upper cromford garden | SK25Y | 22/05/2025 | 3 | adult | Ashton, Clive | vc57_irecords_extract | iBRC41753294 |
| upper cromford garden | SK25Y | 21/05/2025 | 1 | adult | Ashton, Clive | vc57_irecords_extract | iBRC41733054 |
| Sheffield | SK38M | 20/05/2025 | 1 | adult | Turner, Jan | vc57_irecords_extract | iBRC41825735 |
| Sheffield | SK38M | 17/05/2025 | 1 | adult | Turner, Jan | vc57_irecords_extract | iBRC41724597 |
| Florence road, Sheffield | SK38L | 02/05/2025 | 1 | adult | Jim Horsfall | vc57_irecords_extract | iBRC48411055 |
| Mbridge at Markham Vale North Tip | SK47L | 02/03/2025 | 3 | larva | Radford, Mark | vc57_irecords_extract | iBRC40325789 |
| Glossop, Gnat Hole | SK09G | 31/12/2024 | 1 | Larva | Heintzen, Christian | vc57_irecords_extract | iBRC40053325 |
| Pottery Wood | SK32G | 05/11/2024 | 1 | larva | Finch, Graham Leonard | vc57_irecords_extract | iBRC41038954 |
| upper cromford garden | SK25Y | 03/09/2024 | 1 | adult | Ashton, Clive | vc57_irecords_extract | iBRC38312470 |
| Hathersage | SK28F | 12/08/2024 | 1 | adult | Kydd, Alan | vc57_irecords_extract | iBRC39925724 |
| Sandiacre | SK43S | 11/08/2024 | 1 | adult | paul buxton | vc57_irecords_extract | iBRC37850694 |
| Glossop, Hague Street, Hay meadow | SK09G | 06/06/2024 | 1 | adult | Heintzen, Christian | vc57_irecords_extract | iBRC36773519 |
| upper cromford garden | SK25Y | 31/05/2024 | 1 | adult | Ashton, Clive | vc57_irecords_extract | iBRC36207091 |
| upper cromford garden | SK25Y | 02/05/2024 | 1 | adult | Ashton, Clive | vc57_irecords_extract | iBRC35722034 |
| Bentinck Drive Clowne Derbyshire | SK57C | 23/04/2024 | 1 | adult | Darby, April | vc57_irecords_extract | iBRC35562891 |
| Cromford Church, outer wall | SK25Y | 28/12/2023 | 1 | mine (tenant | Penson, Melanie | vc57_irecords_extract | iBRC34440569 |
| Castleton, Hope Valley S, UK | SK18L | 15/04/2022 | 1 | Adult | Rowan McCulloch | vc57_irecords_extract | iBRC24913458 |
| Buxton SK, UK | SK07S | 12/10/2021 | 1 | Adult | Orridge, Steve | vc57_irecords_extract | iBRC22986247 |
| Buxton SK, UK | SK07L | 08/06/2021 | 1 | Adult | Orridge, Steve | vc57_irecords_extract | iBRC38872167 |
| Ladycroft Ave, Buxton | SK07S | 07/06/2021 | 1 | adult | Orridge, Steve | vc57_irecords_extract | iBRC35092561 |
| Woodland Ave | SK43R | 21/11/2020 | 1 | adult | Thorpe, Steve | vc57_irecords_extract | iBRC33502422 |
| Not given | SK38M | 27/08/2020 | 1 | Adult | Turner, Jan | vc57_irecords_extract | iBRC17804185 |
| Norton Lees | SK38L | 18/05/2020 | 1 | adult | Mella, Pete | vc57_irecords_extract | iBRC50549142 |
| Shirland-Hallfieldgate Lane | SK35Z | 04/09/2015 | 1 | Adult | Mahadevan, Nikki | vc57_irecords_extract | iBRC35070585 |
| George St,Belper | SK34N | 14/09/2012 | 1 | Adult | K.R. Huston | vc57_danes_bc_data | LC000334001COYIY |
| Ticknall Limeyards,Ticknall | SK32R | 22/03/2010 | 2 | Larvae | VC57 Derbyshire Recorder | vc57_danes_bc_data | LC000334001CP56P |
| nr Lower Cliffe Farm, Strines Station, New Mills | SJ98T | 15/03/2010 | 1 | Larvae | S.H. Hind | vc57_danes_bc_data | LC000334001COX0Q |