20.019 BF418  –  Argyresthiidae – Argyresthia conjugella – Apple Fruit Moth – (Zeller, 1839) Adult Micro:  CAT 2 – Confusion Species –       PDF Icon – click for General Verification Guidelines  |   PDF Icon – click for Specific Verification Guidelines
Black – Uncertain/Unknown – Insufficient Data        day-flying – Day-flying
Taxonomy:   Micro   >>  Argyresthiidae
Other Name/s: Apple-fruit Moth
ID Difficulty:  amber  – care required in the identification process, as confusion with similar species is likely – quality photographs required.
Confusion Species:  A.spinosella; A.semifusca
ID pointers: Typical form shows forewing greyish brown with a purplish reflection. Creamy white along the dorsum, interrupted by a darker brown oblique cross-band at one half and scattered whitish scales. There is also a shining unicolorous brown form aerariella.
Distribution:  (Last record: 6 June 2019 at Jim Mart NR )  –  Widespread and common to abundant among Rowan throughout the UK. Due to insufficient data status in the county is uncertain/unknown. Likely to be common where the food plant exists
Flight Period: May /  June /  July /  –  On the wing in May – July. Moth Activity: Cathemeral   – and is attracted to light Photographed: Yes –  Photographed By: Steve Orridge  © All Rights Reserved
*** Last updated on 2 October 2025 by RP ***
Wingspan: 10-14mm
Food Plant: Rowan, Apple.
Last Recorded Year: 2019
Last Recorded By – Nikki Mahadevan
Last Recorded General Area – Jim Mart NR

Selected Images:  Buxton, Derbyshire – Steve Orridge ©

 
 


 

Distribution Map for Argyresthia conjugella

Found 21 records
    ↳ 2 from After 2025
    ↳ 9 from 2020 - 2024
    ↳ 10 from Before 2020
Flying
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 – Argyresthia conjugella

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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: Argyresthia conjugella
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )

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


First/Last Recorded Dates: Argyresthia conjugella
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: Argyresthia conjugella
( All data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )
Annual Growth Rate (AGR): Argyresthia conjugella
AGR: -3.58%   |   Total % Change: -50%


CUSUM Analysis: Argyresthia conjugella
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 17 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 8 (August) 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 2006, 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: Argyresthia conjugella
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )

Flight Periods – Indicative –vs– Recorded Data
Argyresthia conjugella
( 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 - Argyresthia conjugella – 21 records available

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

Site NameTetradDateCountStageSource
Ladycroft Ave, BuxtonSK07S10/07/20251adultvc57_irecords_extract
upper cromford gardenSK25Y20/06/20251adultvc57_irecords_extract
Ladycroft Ave, BuxtonSK07S14/07/20241adultvc57_irecords_extract
Belper GardenSK34P07/07/20231adultvc57_irecords_extract
Darwin ForestSK26X26/06/20232adultvc57_irecords_extract
Darwin ForestSK26X27/06/20232adultvc57_irecords_extract
BelperSK34U25/06/20231adultvc57_irecords_extract
Hathersage, Derbyshire, UKSK28F10/07/20221adultvc57_irecords_extract
Hathersage, Derbyshire, UKSK28F03/07/20221adultvc57_irecords_extract
Buxton SK, UKSK07S18/07/20221Adultvc57_irecords_extract
Hathersage, Derbyshire, UKSK28F19/06/20211adultvc57_irecords_extract
Jim Mart Nature ReserveSK36S06/06/20191Adultvc57_irecords_extract
Ashover, DerbyshireSK36L22/05/20141adultvc57_irecords_extract
DovedaleSK15K05/07/20101Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Ogston Carr Wood,nr Ogston ResSK35U12/07/20062Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Priestcliffe Lees (Comp W), TaddingtonSK17L06/07/19961Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Linacre Resr (Fagus Plantation) (site not precise)SK37G17/08/19941Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Linacre Resr (north side) (site not precise)SK37G20/08/19941Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Deerlands Rd, Ashgate, ChesterfieldSK37K20/07/19931Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Repton Shrubs, Repton (site not precise)SK32B03/04/19051Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Repton Shrubs, Repton (site not precise)SK32B30/03/19051Adultvc57_danes_bc_data

 
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