15.044 BF324  –  Gracillariidae –  Lithocolletinae – Phyllonorycter sorbi – Rowan Leaf-miner – (Frey, 1855) Adult Micro:  CAT 4 – Gen. Det. Required – Gen-Det-Reqd       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
Black – Uncertain/Unknown – Insufficient Data        purple – Leaf Miner
Taxonomy:   Micro   >>  Gracillariidae  >> Lithocolletinae
Other Name/s: Rowan Midget
ID Difficulty:  Red – difficult to identify – detailed examination required, often a Gen Det and/or specimen and quality photographs are required.
Confusion Species: Phyllonorycter oxyacanthae (Common Thorn Leaf-miner); Phyllonorycter hostis (Cryptic Apple Leaf-mine)
ID pointers: The forewing colour is golden brown/ochre but is often suffused with blackish on the outer half. The white markings are well defined and partially bordered blackish with white cilia
Distribution:  (Last record: 29 August 2025 at Torside Clough, Longdendale )  –  Uncertain due to insufficient data – 1983 Matlock Moor ; 2023 Carver’s Rocks ; Leaf Mine Aug 2025 from Torside Clough Longdendale.
Flight Period: April /  May /  August /  –  Two generations – April-May & August Mine Period: June /  July /  September /  October /   – The leaf mine is wrinkled on the under-side and curved to a fold on the upper-side of the leaf The amazing Leaf Mine photograph was taken by Christian Heintzen who states – ” When I took photos of the tentiform mine of Phyllonorycter sorbi (on Rowan) I noticed a tiny wasp head sticking out (1/3 of a mm head width). Closeups and dissection of the mine confirmed that a parasitic wasp (probably of Genus Sympiesis) had parasitised the larva. However inside the mine the sclerotised plates that protect the wings of the wasps were still in place, so the wasp apparently couldn’t get through the exit hole and perished” Moth Activity: Cathemeral  Photographed: Yes –  Photographed By: Christian Heintzen  © All Rights Reserved
*** Last updated on 14 September 2025 by TD ***
Wingspan: 7-9mm
Food Plant: Rowan, Whitebeam and Cherry
Last Recorded Year: 2025
Last Recorded By – Christian Heintzen
Last Recorded General Area – Torside Clough, Longdendale

IMAGES BELOW:  

August 2025 – Glossop – Christian Heintzen©

no images were found

Distribution Map for Phyllonorycter sorbi

Found 17 records
    ↳ 2 from After 2025
    ↳ 1 from 2020 - 2024
    ↳ 14 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 – Phyllonorycter sorbi

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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.

Visit NBN Site


Monthly Records By Year: Phyllonorycter sorbi
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )
No data returned from the database.

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


First/Last Recorded Dates: Phyllonorycter sorbi
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: Phyllonorycter sorbi
( All data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )
Annual Growth Rate (AGR): Phyllonorycter sorbi
AGR: 1.7%   |   Total % Change: 50%


CUSUM Analysis: Phyllonorycter sorbi
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 20 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 2025, 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: Phyllonorycter sorbi
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )

Flight Periods – Indicative –vs– Recorded Data
Phyllonorycter sorbi
( 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
Phyllonorycter sorbi
( 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 - Phyllonorycter sorbi – 17 records available

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

TaxonSite NameTetradYearDateCountStageSource
Phyllonorycter sorbiDWT Wyver LaneSK34P202502/09/20252mine (empty)vc57_irecords_extract
Phyllonorycter sorbiMeersbrook ParkSK38M202522/08/20251minevc57_irecords_extract
Phyllonorycter sorbiCarver's RocksSK32G202330/09/20231Minevc57_irecords_extract
Phyllonorycter sorbiThorpe, DovedaleSK15K201013/10/20101Larval Minevc57_danes_bc_data
Phyllonorycter sorbiBamfordSK28B201021/09/20101Larval Minevc57_danes_bc_data
Phyllonorycter sorbiLadybower ResrSK18U201003/09/20101Larval Minevc57_danes_bc_data
Phyllonorycter sorbiSlippery Stones,Upper DerwentSK19S201025/08/20101Larval Minevc57_danes_bc_data
Phyllonorycter sorbiUpper Wood, Howden ResrSK19R201025/08/20101Larval Minevc57_danes_bc_data
Phyllonorycter sorbiPadley Gorge, Nether PadleySK27P201019/08/20101Larval Minevc57_danes_bc_data
Phyllonorycter sorbiNorburySK14G200901/10/20091Larval Minevc57_danes_bc_data
Phyllonorycter sorbiCarvers Rocks NR,HartshorneSK32G200903/10/20091Larval Minevc57_danes_bc_data
Phyllonorycter sorbiLinacreSK37L200913/10/20091Larval Minevc57_danes_bc_data
Phyllonorycter sorbiCarr Vale NR,BolsoverSK47K200613/09/20061Larval Minevc57_danes_bc_data
Phyllonorycter sorbiShallcross Wood, Goyt Valley, Whaley BridgeSK07E200626/09/20061Larval Minevc57_danes_bc_data
Phyllonorycter sorbiOgston Carr Wood,nr Ogston ResSK35U200612/07/20061Larval Minevc57_danes_bc_data
Phyllonorycter sorbiClattercotes Wood, nr Ogston ResrSK36Q200612/07/20061Larval Minevc57_danes_bc_data
Phyllonorycter sorbiBrackley Gate, nr CoxbenchSK34W200103/11/20011Larval Minevc57_danes_bc_data

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