19.011 BF473  –  Glyphipterigidae –  Acrolepiinae – Acrolepiopsis assectella – Leek Moth – (Zeller, 1839) 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   >>  Glyphipterigidae  >> Acrolepiinae
ID Difficulty:  amber  – care required in the identification process, as confusion with similar species is likely – quality photographs required.
Confusion Species:  Similar to other Acrolepiopsis sp.
ID pointers: The forewing is a greyish brown with scattered dark brown and whitish markings. A distinct white triangular mark about half way along the folded wing and further mottling of white in the terminal area of the wing.
Distribution:  (Last record: 23 August 2024 at Ilkeston )  –  Not listed in Harrison & Sterling (1988) – A nationally local species spreading northwards. Generally widespread but uncommon and likely to be local in the county where leek, onion or chives are grown. 
General Comment: None
Flight Period: January /  February /  March /  April /  May /  June /  July /  October /  November /  December –  On the wing during most months of the year. Mine Period: Not Recorded
Mine Period Additional: None.
Mine ID Difficulty: Not Recorded
Mine Type/s: Not Recorded
Mine Feeding Method/s: Not Recorded
Mine Comment: None.
Moth Activity: Cathemeral   – and is attracted to light Photographed: Yes –  Photographed By: Brian Hallam  © All Rights Reserved
*** Last updated on 2 October 2025 by RP ***
Wingspan: 11-14mm
Food Plant: Onion, leek or garlic.
Last Recorded Year: 2024
Last Recorded By – Brian Hobby
Last Recorded General Area – Ilkeston

Selected Images:  Findern, Derbyshire – Brian Hallam ©

 
 


 

Distribution Map for Acrolepiopsis assectella

Found 33 records
    ↳ 4 from After 2025
    ↳ 27 from 2020 - 2024
    ↳ 2 from Before 2020
Flying
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Mining
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

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.

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 – Acrolepiopsis assectella

⚠️ 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: Acrolepiopsis assectella
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )

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


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


CUSUM Analysis: Acrolepiopsis assectella
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 18 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 9 (September) 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 2022, 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: Acrolepiopsis assectella
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )

Flight Periods – Indicative –vs– Recorded Data
Acrolepiopsis assectella
( 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
Acrolepiopsis assectella
( 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 - Acrolepiopsis assectella – 33 records available

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

Site NameTetradDateCountStageSource
Chaddesden, DerbySK33T23/08/20251adultvc57_irecords_extract
BelperSK34N28/07/20251adultvc57_irecords_extract
Staveley garden SYASK47H21/07/20251adultvc57_irecords_extract
Derby DESK33I14/06/20251adultvc57_irecords_extract
Findern, Derbyshire, DEAZSK33A01/09/20241adultvc57_irecords_extract
Ilkeston, DerbyshireSK44K23/08/20242adultvc57_irecords_extract
BelperSK34U12/08/20241adultvc57_irecords_extract
Findern, Derbyshire, DEAZSK33A05/08/20241adultvc57_irecords_extract
Midway, Derbys.SK32A03/08/20241adultvc57_irecords_extract
BelperSK34U20/07/20241adultvc57_irecords_extract
Findern, Derbyshire, DEAZSK33A09/07/20241adultvc57_irecords_extract
SandiacreSK43T13/04/20241adultvc57_irecords_extract
Ilkeston, DerbyshireSK44K11/04/20241adultvc57_irecords_extract
Sandiacre, DerbyshireSK43S05/04/20241adultvc57_irecords_extract
Mickleover gardenSK33C14/03/20241adultvc57_irecords_extract
Woodland Avenue MothtrapSK43R12/03/20241adultvc57_irecords_extract
SandiacreSK43T19/11/20231adultvc57_irecords_extract
Belper GardenSK34P08/09/20231adultvc57_irecords_extract
BelperSK34U29/08/20231adultvc57_irecords_extract
Kings Newton FieldsSK32Y03/08/20233Adultvc57_irecords_extract
Findern GardenSK33A30/06/20231Adultvc57_irecords_extract
Findern, Derbyshire, DEAZSK33A05/08/20221adultvc57_irecords_extract
SandiacreSK43T10/06/20221adultvc57_irecords_extract
Woodland AveSK43R05/09/20211adultvc57_irecords_extract
Findern, Derbyshire, DEAZSK33A23/06/20211adultvc57_irecords_extract
Main Street, Kings NewtonSK32Y03/09/20201Adultvc57_irecords_extract
Woodland AveSK43R09/08/20201adultvc57_irecords_extract
Main Street, Kings NewtonSK32Y07/08/20201Adultvc57_irecords_extract
Woodland AveSK43R06/08/20202adultvc57_irecords_extract
Findern, Derbyshire, DEAZSK33A24/06/20201adultvc57_irecords_extract
Findern, Derbyshire, DEAZSK33A10/04/20201adultvc57_irecords_extract
Main Street, Kings NewtonSK32Y21/03/20191Adultvc57_irecords_extract
Main Street, Kings NewtonSK32Y19/07/20181Adultvc57_irecords_extract

 
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