17.015 BF252  –  Ypsolophidae –  Ochsenheimeriinae – Ochsenheimeria urella – Bull's-horn Stem Moth – (Fischer von Röslerstamm, 1842) Adult Micro:  CAT 3 – Very Rare/Scarce/Migrant/Adventive – confusion with leaf mines       PDF Icon – click for General Verification Guidelines  |   PDF Icon – click for Specific Verification Guidelines
Brown –  Significant Record / Very Rare / Vagrant         day-flying – Day-flying
Taxonomy:   Micro   >>  Ypsolophidae  >> Ochsenheimeriinae
Other Name/s: Variable Stem Moth
ID Difficulty:  amber  – care required in the identification process, as confusion with similar species is likely – quality photographs required.
Confusion Species:  O.taurella & O.vaccullela
ID pointers: Has a uniform pale yellowish-brown forewing or pale brown. The cilia are hardly or not dark tipped as in O.taurella The female antenna has scales in the middle, thickened with elongated scales for about three-fifths of their length, creating a noticeably ‘shaggy’ appearance. Males have slightly thickened antennae over three fifths, though with reclining scales. Both sexes have raised scale tufts on the head
Distribution:  (Last record: 13 July 2024 at Pleasley Pit CP )  –  Nationally Scarce B – Status in Derbyshire is uncertain/unknown due to very few modern day records, this one being the first since 1984. Described in Harrison & Sterling (1988) as common on heathland at Great Hucklow, Goyts Moss and Curbar Edge.DaNES-a record from Leash Fen, Baslow 22/7/1995. Seems to favour heathland in the northern half of the county.
Flight Period: July /  August /  –  The moth is on the wing during sunny mornings throughout July – August, otherwise lies buried in deep grass Moth Activity: Diurnal  – Flies during sunny mornings Photographed: Yes –  Photographed By: Jane Hewitt  © All Rights Reserved
*** Last updated on 6 May 2025 by RP ***
Wingspan: 9-12mm
Food Plant: Couch, Brome and other grasses
Last Recorded Year: 2024
Last Recorded By – Jane Hewitt
Last Recorded General Area – Pleasley Pit CP

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Distribution Map for Ochsenheimeria urella

Found 2 records
    ↳ 0 from After 2025
    ↳ 1 from 2020 - 2024
    ↳ 1 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 – Ochsenheimeria urella

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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.

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Monthly Records By Year: Ochsenheimeria urella
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )

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


First/Last Recorded Dates: Ochsenheimeria urella
Adult-only & Anything [Larvae, Pupae, Adult, Mines]

Shading shows moth presence between dates

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Recordings By Year: Ochsenheimeria urella
( All data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )
Annual Growth Rate (AGR): Ochsenheimeria urella
AGR: 0%   |   Total % Change: 0%
Ochsenheimeria urella
Insufficient records/data for an AGR analysis
Years Analysed: 2000 – 2025
Ochsenheimeria urella
Insufficient records/data for a CUSUM analysis
Years Analysed: 2000 – 2025

Hectad (10kmx10km) Coverage: Ochsenheimeria urella
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )

Flight Periods – Indicative –vs– Recorded Data
Ochsenheimeria urella
( 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.

Records Behind the Map and Charts - Ochsenheimeria urella – 2 records available

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

TaxonSite NameTetradYearDateCountStageSource
Ochsenheimeria urellaPleasley Pit Country ParkSK46X202413/07/20241adultvc57_irecords_extract
Ochsenheimeria urellaLeash Fen area, BaslowSK27X199522/07/19951Adultvc57_danes_bc_data

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