Caloptilia betulicola       Caloptilia azaleella
15.006 BF284  –  Gracillariidae –  Gracillariinae – Caloptilia rufipennella – Rufous Stilt – (Hübner, 1796) Adult Micro:  CAT 2 – Confusion Species –       Leaf-miner:  CAT L – The leaf or a Photo required – reared and possibly dissected       PDF Icon – click for General Verification Guidelines  |   PDF Icon – click for Specific Verification Guidelines
Green –  Rare / Uncommon / Scarce        purple – Leaf Miner
Taxonomy:   Micro   >>  Gracillariidae  >> Gracillariinae
Other Name/s: Small Red Slender
ID Difficulty:  amber  – care required in the identification process, as confusion with similar species is likely – quality photographs required.
ID pointers: A characteristic resting pose, with the body raised on the front legs. The forewing is a glossy orange-brown or red-brown A distinctive white band on chocolate brown forelegs and small size help to distinguish from other similar species.
Distribution:  (Last record: 11 August 2024 at Cromford )  –  Not listed in Harrison & Sterling (1988) – A new British species in 1970, and one that seems to be expanding its range, with over 34 records from Derbyshire prior to 2010. Since a scattering of records so most probably under-recorded or a rare species.
Flight Period: April /  May /  July /  August /  –  Moths emerge in July and over winter as adult, so can then be seen in April – May Mine Period: July /  September /   – The larvae feed on sycamore (Acer pseudoplatanus), initially in a small mine, but later folding the leaf and feeding within. Photographed: Yes –  Photographed By: Will Soar  © All Rights Reserved
*** Last updated on 6 May 2025 by RP ***
Wingspan: 11-12mm
 Food Plant: Sycamore (Acer pseudoplatanua)
Last Recorded Year: 2024
Last Recorded By – Clive Ashton
Last Recorded General Area – Cromford
IMAGES BELOW:  Kings Newton, Derbyshire – Will Soar ©

15.006 BF284 - Gracillariidae - Gracillariinae - Caloptilia rufipennella
Caloptilia rufipennella – Small Red Slender – Will Soar
15.006 BF284 - Gracillariidae - Gracillariinae - Caloptilia rufipennella

 
 

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Distribution Map for Caloptilia rufipennella

Found 30 records
    ↳ 0 from After 2025
    ↳ 6 from 2020 - 2024
    ↳ 24 from Before 2020

If the Map Layers function fails, just refresh the page and it should be OK after. Use the +- zoom on the top left, or on a tablet, use two fingers to zoom. Remember, the last layer you ticked is the one which displays the popup information - they sit on top of each other - de-select then re-select, to see the popup values.

******* Choose ONLY one at a time, of either Monad, Tetrad or Hectad Distribution - each has it's own set of data. Also, the distribution maps cover ALL recorded data. *******

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.

Land-cover * shows the variety of land-cover within the VC57 area, based on the CORINE (Coordination of Information on the Environment) forty-four thematic classes of land-cover. This will show, to a greater or lesser degree, the number and variety of moths found in different land-cover types. The UK continues to operate within the Copernicus programme, with the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH) providing Corine Land Cover (CLC) datasets for the UK and its territories.


NBN Atlas UK Distribution for – Caloptilia rufipennella

⚠️ Please wait for the map to load fully – do not click the link shown.


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.

Visit NBN Site


Monthly Records By Year: Caloptilia rufipennella
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )

Monthly Counts By Year: Caloptilia rufipennella
( data is based on 'Adult' stage records only. )


First/Last Recorded Dates: Caloptilia rufipennella
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: Caloptilia rufipennella
( All data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )
Annual Growth Rate (AGR): Caloptilia rufipennella
AGR: 1.26%   |   Total % Change: 33.3%


CUSUM Analysis: Caloptilia rufipennella
About this chart: CUSUM (Cumulative Sum) charts track long-term trends in moth populations [ filtered by 'Adult' and 'Mine' life stages ] by showing whether each year’s counts are above or below the historical average. Even small shifts build up over time, making trends of growth, stability, or decline easier to see. CUSUM highlights trend-consistency — asking: “Across the years, have moth counts mostly stayed above or below average?”
The data sample has 14 gap year/s here (zero records) between 2000 and 2025. The moth may have been present in those gap years, but no data was available. Too many year-gaps may exaggerate or skew the chart.

Counts for the current year (2025) are pro-rated based on data available up to month 7 (July) to provide a full-year equivalent.

ⓘ Purple line rises = years better than average; falls = years worse than average.
Peak (best year) Trough (worst year) Growth periods Decline periods
Population peaked around 2024, reaching above average levels. The lowest population point occurred near 2023, showing a significant decline.

What the Y-axis "Cumulative Deviation" means: Cumulative Deviation shows the running total of how each year’s moth population count differs from the long-term average. i

Hectad (10kmx10km) Coverage: Caloptilia rufipennella
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )

Flight Periods – Indicative –vs– Recorded Data
Caloptilia rufipennella
( data includes Adult Stage only )

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 2020-2025.

Mine Periods – Indicative –vs– Recorded Data
Caloptilia rufipennella
( 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 2020-2025.

Records Behind the Map and Charts - Caloptilia rufipennella – 30 records available

Listed by Year - descending - scroll across to see all table columns

TaxonSite NameTetradYearDateCountStageSource
Caloptilia rufipennellaupper cromford gardenSK25Y202411/08/20241adultvc57_irecords_extract
Caloptilia rufipennellaChaddesden, DerbySK33T202417/07/20241adultvc57_irecords_extract
Caloptilia rufipennellaKing's NewtonSK32Y202429/07/20242adultvc57_irecords_extract
Caloptilia rufipennellaHavercroft RoadSK38L202307/10/20231Adultvc57_irecords_extract
Caloptilia rufipennellaAllestree ParkSK34K202225/09/20221Minevc57_irecords_extract
Caloptilia rufipennellaBuxton SK, UKSK07S202218/08/20221Adultvc57_irecords_extract
Caloptilia rufipennellaMain Street, Kings NewtonSK32Y201818/07/20181Adultvc57_irecords_extract
Caloptilia rufipennellaBackgarden MarehaySK34Z201708/04/20171adultvc57_irecords_extract
Caloptilia rufipennellaMain Street, Kings NewtonSK32Y201620/07/20161Adultvc57_irecords_extract
Caloptilia rufipennellaMeersbrook, SheffieldSK38M201403/07/20141Adultvc57_irecords_extract
Caloptilia rufipennellaDerby (Meadow Lane)SK33N201202/08/20121Larval Minevc57_danes_bc_data
Caloptilia rufipennellaBackgarden MarehaySK34Z201208/05/20121adultvc57_irecords_extract
Caloptilia rufipennellaBamford St,RipleySK34Z201208/05/20121Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Caloptilia rufipennellaThorpe, DovedaleSK15K201013/10/20101Larval Minevc57_danes_bc_data
Caloptilia rufipennellaLadybower ResrSK18U201003/09/20101Larval Minevc57_danes_bc_data
Caloptilia rufipennellaBamfordSK28B201021/09/20101Larval Minevc57_danes_bc_data
Caloptilia rufipennellaAshford in the WaterSK16Z201022/09/20101Larval Minevc57_danes_bc_data
Caloptilia rufipennellaSlippery Stones,Upper DerwentSK19S201025/08/20101Larval Minevc57_danes_bc_data
Caloptilia rufipennellaHowden ResrSK19L201025/08/20101Larval Minevc57_danes_bc_data
Caloptilia rufipennellaHopeSK18R200907/10/20091Larval Minevc57_danes_bc_data
Caloptilia rufipennellaTissington Trail, AshbourneSK14T200901/10/20091Larval Minevc57_danes_bc_data
Caloptilia rufipennellaCromfordSK25Y200916/10/20091Larval Minevc57_danes_bc_data
Caloptilia rufipennellaHague Bar, New MillsSJ98X200703/09/20071Larval Minevc57_danes_bc_data
Caloptilia rufipennellaMousley Bottom, New MillsSJ98X200703/09/20071Larval Minevc57_danes_bc_data
Caloptilia rufipennellaBrackley Gate, nr CoxbenchSK34W200103/11/20011Larval Minevc57_danes_bc_data
Caloptilia rufipennellaAbbotsholme School, RocesterSK13E200104/10/20011Larval Minevc57_danes_bc_data
Caloptilia rufipennellaLadycroft Ave,BuxtonSK07R199701/11/19971Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Caloptilia rufipennellaLang Rd, Alvaston, DerbySK33R199730/04/19971Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Caloptilia rufipennellaLinacre Resr (Fagus Plantation) (site not precise)SK37G199417/08/19941Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Caloptilia rufipennellaDeerlands Rd, Ashgate, ChesterfieldSK37K199330/08/19931Adultvc57_danes_bc_data

 
Caloptilia betulicola       Caloptilia azaleella

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