Phyllonorycter strigulatella       Phyllonorycter anderidae
15.067 BF345  –  Gracillariidae –  Lithocolletinae – Phyllonorycter rajella – Common Alder Leaf-miner – (Linnaeus, 1758) 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
Blue –  Generally Common / Widespread        purple – Leaf Miner
Taxonomy:   Micro   >>  Gracillariidae  >> Lithocolletinae
Other Name/s: Common Alder Midget
ID Difficulty:  amber  – care required in the identification process, as confusion with similar species is likely – quality photographs required.
Confusion Species:  < Phyllonorycter strigulatella / Phyllonorycter anderidae >
ID pointers: A variable species, some dark, some pale. There is a broad white basal streak which is obvious. A black apex spot and pale cilia.
Distribution:  Locally common across Derbyshire. Both mine and adult being recorded
Flight Period: May /  August /  –  On the wing during May & August in two generations Mine Period: May /  August /   – Occurs on Alder (Alnus). The mines form blotches on the underside of the leave within the leaf cells. Photographed: Yes –  Photographed By: Will Soar, Dave Evans, Nikki Mahadevan  © All Rights Reserved
*** Last updated on 6 May 2025 by RP ***
Wingspan: 7-9mm
 Food Plant: Alder
Recorded dates for Common [Blue code Blue-coded] moths are not stored on the website at this current time.
IMAGES BELOW:  Kings Newton, Derbyshire – Will Soar ©

15.067 BF345 - Gracillariidae - Lithocolletinae - Phyllonorycter rajella
Phyllonorycter rajella – Common-Alder-Midget-Phyllonorycter-rajella – Will Soar
15.067 BF345 - Gracillariidae - Lithocolletinae - Phyllonorycter rajella
Phyllonorycter rajella -Common-Alder-Midget-Phyllonorycter-rajella-Melbourne-Tony Davison-12.9.03
15.067 BF345 - Gracillariidae - Lithocolletinae - Phyllonorycter rajella - Will Soar
Phyllonorycter rajella – Will Soar
Phyllonorycter rajella - 28/5/2019 - Dave Evans
Phyllonorycter rajella – 28/5/2019 – Dave Evans
Phyllonorycter rajella - 29/10/2016 - Nikki Mahadevan
Phyllonorycter rajella – 29/10/2016 – Nikki Mahadevan
Phyllonorycter rajella - 29/10/2016 - Nikki Mahadevan
Phyllonorycter rajella – 29/10/2016 – Nikki Mahadevan
15.067 BF345 - Gracillariidae - Lithocolletinae - Phyllonorycter rajella
15.067 BF345 - Gracillariidae - Lithocolletinae - Phyllonorycter rajella
15.067 BF345 - Gracillariidae - Lithocolletinae - Phyllonorycter rajella - Will Soar
Phyllonorycter rajella - 28/5/2019 - Dave Evans
Phyllonorycter rajella - 29/10/2016 - Nikki Mahadevan
Phyllonorycter rajella - 29/10/2016 - Nikki Mahadevan

 
 

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Distribution Map for Phyllonorycter rajella

Found 46 records
    ↳ 2 from After 2025
    ↳ 7 from 2020 - 2024
    ↳ 37 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 rajella

⚠️ 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: Phyllonorycter rajella
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )

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


First/Last Recorded Dates: Phyllonorycter rajella
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 rajella
( All data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )
Annual Growth Rate (AGR): Phyllonorycter rajella
AGR: 0%   |   Total % Change: 0%


CUSUM Analysis: Phyllonorycter rajella
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 10 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 2011, 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 rajella
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )

Flight Periods – Indicative –vs– Recorded Data
Phyllonorycter rajella
( 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 rajella
( 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 rajella – 46 records available

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

TaxonSite NameTetradYearDateCountStageSource
Phyllonorycter rajellaJim Mart Nature ReserveSK36S202501/09/20251minevc57_irecords_extract
Phyllonorycter rajellaBelperSK34N202529/08/20251mine (empty)vc57_irecords_extract
Phyllonorycter rajellaCalke ParkSK32R202307/10/20231Minevc57_irecords_extract
Phyllonorycter rajellaCalke ParkSK32R202301/10/20231Minevc57_irecords_extract
Phyllonorycter rajellaCarver's RocksSK32G202330/09/20231Minevc57_irecords_extract
Phyllonorycter rajellaCarver's RocksSK32H202321/09/20231Minevc57_irecords_extract
Phyllonorycter rajellaBlacka Moor and PlantationSK28V202224/08/20221mine (empty)vc57_irecords_extract
Phyllonorycter rajellaMain Street, Kings NewtonSK32Y202015/09/20201Adultvc57_irecords_extract
Phyllonorycter rajellaMain Street, Kings NewtonSK32Y202007/08/20201Adultvc57_irecords_extract
Phyllonorycter rajellaBelSK34U201928/05/20191adultvc57_irecords_extract
Phyllonorycter rajellaMain Street, Kings NewtonSK32Y201817/07/20181Adultvc57_irecords_extract
Phyllonorycter rajellaJim Mart Nature ReserveSK36S201629/10/20161Leaf-minevc57_irecords_extract
Phyllonorycter rajellaMain Street, Kings NewtonSK32Y201607/09/20162Adultvc57_irecords_extract
Phyllonorycter rajellaMillers DaleSK17G201103/09/20111Larval Minevc57_danes_bc_data
Phyllonorycter rajellaBamfordSK28B201021/09/20101Larval Minevc57_danes_bc_data
Phyllonorycter rajellaAshford in the WaterSK16Z201022/09/20101Larval Minevc57_danes_bc_data
Phyllonorycter rajellaSlippery Stones,Upper DerwentSK19S201025/08/20101Larval Minevc57_danes_bc_data
Phyllonorycter rajellaPadley Gorge, Nether PadleySK27P201019/08/20101Larval Minevc57_danes_bc_data
Phyllonorycter rajellaNorburySK14G200901/10/20091Larval Minevc57_danes_bc_data
Phyllonorycter rajellaAshbourneSK14T200901/10/20091Larval Minevc57_danes_bc_data
Phyllonorycter rajellaTissington Trail, AshbourneSK14T200901/10/20091Larval Minevc57_danes_bc_data
Phyllonorycter rajellaStoney MiddletonSK27H200912/10/20091Larval Minevc57_danes_bc_data
Phyllonorycter rajellaForemark Resr (sailing club area), TicknallSK32H200902/10/20091Larval Minevc57_danes_bc_data
Phyllonorycter rajellaLinacreSK37L200913/10/20091Larval Minevc57_danes_bc_data
Phyllonorycter rajellaCastletonSK18L200910/09/20091Larval Minevc57_danes_bc_data
Phyllonorycter rajellaBroomfield Hall, Morley, DerbySK34V200808/11/20081Larval Minevc57_danes_bc_data
Phyllonorycter rajellaCalke ParkSK32L200825/10/20081Minevc57_irecords_extract
Phyllonorycter rajellaCalke Park,TicknallSK32R200825/10/20081Larval Minevc57_danes_bc_data
Phyllonorycter rajellaCarvers Rocks (new plantation),Hartshorne,SwadlincoteSK32G200702/11/20071Larval Minevc57_danes_bc_data
Phyllonorycter rajellaStaunton Harold res (nr boat house), MelbourneSK32S200706/11/20071Larval Minevc57_danes_bc_data
Phyllonorycter rajellaNew plantation, Carvers Rocks areaSK32G200721/10/20071Larval Minevc57_danes_bc_data
Phyllonorycter rajellaDovedale (entrance cattle grid), AshbourneSK15K200731/10/20071Larval Minevc57_danes_bc_data
Phyllonorycter rajellaMousley Bottom, New MillsSJ98X200703/09/20071Larval Minevc57_danes_bc_data
Phyllonorycter rajellanr Brookdale Farm, Repton, DerbysSK32H200709/09/20071Larval Minevc57_danes_bc_data
Phyllonorycter rajellaCarr Vale NR,BolsoverSK46P200613/09/20061Larval Minevc57_danes_bc_data
Phyllonorycter rajellaShallcross Wood, Goyt Valley, Whaley BridgeSK07E200626/09/20061Larval Minevc57_danes_bc_data
Phyllonorycter rajellaOgston Carr Wood,nr Ogston ResSK35U200612/07/20061Larval Minevc57_danes_bc_data
Phyllonorycter rajellaClattercotes Wood, nr Ogston ResrSK36K200612/07/20061Larval Minevc57_danes_bc_data
Phyllonorycter rajellaMain St,Kings Newton,MelbourneSK32Y200302/10/20031Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Phyllonorycter rajellaMelbourne, DerbyshireSK32X200312/09/20031adultvc57_irecords_extract
Phyllonorycter rajellaMain Street, Kings NewtonSK32Y200316/09/20031Adultvc57_irecords_extract
Phyllonorycter rajellaMain St,Kings Newton,MelbourneSK32Y200316/09/20031Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Phyllonorycter rajellaHillclifflane, nr IdridgehaySK24Y200202/11/20021Larval Minevc57_danes_bc_data
Phyllonorycter rajellaBrackley Gate, nr CoxbenchSK34W200103/11/20011Larval Minevc57_danes_bc_data
Phyllonorycter rajellaAbbotsholme School, RocesterSK13E200104/10/20011Larval Minevc57_danes_bc_data
Phyllonorycter rajellaRowsley Sidings, RowsleySK26S198312/11/19831Larval Minevc57_danes_bc_data

 
Phyllonorycter strigulatella       Phyllonorycter anderidae

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