15.0862 BF364b – Royal Leaf-miner – Phyllonorycter pastorella – Zeller, 1846
Adult Micro: CAT 3 – Very rare or scarce species (includes very scarce adventives/immigrants) – 
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
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 
– Significant Record / Very Rare / Vagrant 
– Leaf-miner
– difficult to identify – detailed examination required, often a Gen Det and/or specimen and quality photographs are required. ID pointers: The adult moth is white or light ochre with brown scales that form marks along the edges of its wings. It is very similar in appearance to other Phyllonorycter species, particularly P. apparella, and usually requires a GenDet for definitive identification.
Distribution: (First record: 22 September 2025 at Alvaston Park, Derby ) – (Last record: 11 October 2025 at Willington Wetlands ) – The species was Discovered in Buckingham Palace Gardens, London in 2014. Little known about the species. Four mines were found at Alvaston Park, Derby on 22nd September 2025, the first record for VC57 Derbyshire. Another record of the leaf mine from Derby South Services at Aston-on-Trent on 31/10/2025 was photographed (iRecord).
1st record of adult bred through from leaf mine 25/9/2025.
General Comment: Due to its similarity to native species, recording the moth in the UK often requires photographs of the mine (showing both surfaces) or, for adults, a retained specimen for expert verification.
Mine Period Additional: The mines are larger than any of the British Phyllonorycters and found on long-leaved Willows.
Mine ID Difficulty:
– Care required in ID process as confusion with similar leaf mines. Quality photos of the mine required. Mine Type/s: Not Recorded
Mine Feeding Method/s: Leaf Fold
Mine Comment: The larvae are leaf miners. They create a distinctive, large, lower-surface tentiform mine on the leaves of their host plants, typically with a single, strong fold. Frass is found in one corner of the mine.
*** Last updated on 12 December 2025 by TD ***
Last Recorded Year: 2025
First Recorded Year: 2025
Last Recorded By – Tony Davison & Sam Goddard
Last Recorded General Area – Willington Wetlands
Selected Images: Alvaston Park, 22nd Sept 2025 1st record – Sam Goddard© adult bred from Leaf Mine 25th Sept 2025 – 1st record of adult – Sam Goddard© / Willington Wetlands (October 2025) Tony Davison©
Image Gallery
Temporal Distribution Chart
Adults: (between 2025 - 2025) | Immatures: (between 2025 - 2025)
(click legend below to show/hide datasets)
Distribution Map for Phyllonorycter pastorella
Found 4 records
↳ from 2026+
↳ 4 from 2020 - 2025
↳ from Before 2020
↳ from 2026+
↳ 4 from 2020 - 2025
↳ 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 – Phyllonorycter pastorella
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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:
Phyllonorycter pastorella
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )
Monthly Counts By Year:
Phyllonorycter pastorella
( data is based on 'Adult' stage records only )
First/Last Recorded Dates: Phyllonorycter pastorella
Adult-only & Anything [Larvae, Pupae, Adult, Mines]
Shading shows moth presence between dates
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Recordings By Year: Phyllonorycter pastorella
( All data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )
Annual Growth Rate (AGR): Phyllonorycter pastorella
AGR: 0% | Total % Change: 0%
Phyllonorycter pastorella
Insufficient records/data for an AGR analysis
Years Analysed: 2000 – 2026
Hectad (10kmx10km) Coverage: Phyllonorycter pastorella
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )
Flight Periods – Indicative –vs– Recorded Data
Phyllonorycter pastorella
Phyllonorycter pastorella
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
Phyllonorycter pastorella
Phyllonorycter pastorella
( 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 - Phyllonorycter pastorella – 4 records available
Listed by Year - descending - scroll across to see all table columns
| Site Name | Tetrad | Date | Count | Stage | Recorder | Source | RecordKey |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A, Derby South Services, Ashton-on-Trent. | SK43F | 31/10/2025 | 1 | mine (tenant | Bryan, John-Paul | vc57_irecords_extract | iBRC46180554 |
| Willington Wetlands | SK22Y | 11/10/2025 | 2 | mine (empty) | Davison, Tony | vc57_irecords_extract | iBRC45894515 |
| Allenton, Derby, Derby | SK33R | 26/09/2025 | 1 | adult | Goddard, Sam | vc57_irecords_extract | iBRC45639118 |
| Alvaston Park | SK33S | 22/09/2025 | 1 | mine | Goddard, Sam | vc57_irecords_extract | iBRC45484492 |