38.005 BF611 - Elachistidae - Elachista triatomea
38.005 BF611  – Triple-spotted Grass-miner  – Elachista triatomea  – (Haworth, 1828)
Adult Micro:  CAT 2 – Can be confused with other 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
Black – Uncertain/Unknown – Insufficient Data        purple – Leaf-miner
Taxonomy:   Micro   >>  Elachistidae
Other Name/s: Meadow Dwarf
ID Difficulty:  green  – easy to identify, generally distinctive and unlikely to be confused with other species.
ID pointers: Small and all white with three distinctive black specks on the forewings making it quite easy to identify.
Distribution:  (Last record: 11 June 2014 at Kings Newton )  –  Most probably under recorded as the leaf mines are difficult to find on Sheep’s Fescue. Dovedale 1948 (DaNES) 7 accounts from 1926 – 1962 (Harrison & Sterling); Cunningdale, Buxton 1997 (DaNES); two, both from Kings Newton on 19/7/2005 and 11/6/2014.
General Comment: None
Flight Period: June /  July –  On the wing in June – July  Mine Period:  April /  May /  June
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: Nocturnal   – and is attracted to light Photographed: Yes –  Photographed By: Will Soar  © All Rights Reserved
*** Last updated on 2 October 2025 by RP ***
Wingspan: 8-9mm
Food Plant: Fescue grass (Festuca).
Last Recorded Year: 2014
Last Recorded By – Will Soar
Last Recorded General Area – Kings Newton

Selected Images:  Kings Newton, Derbyshire – Will Soar©



Temporal Distribution Chart
Adults: (between 1948 - 2025)
(click legend below to show/hide datasets)

Distribution Map for Elachista triatomea

Found 5 records
    ↳ from 2026+
    ↳ 1 from 2020 - 2025
    ↳ 4 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 – Elachista triatomea

⚠️ 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: Elachista triatomea
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )

Monthly Counts By Year: Elachista triatomea
( data is based on 'Adult' stage records only )

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

Hectad (10kmx10km) Coverage: Elachista triatomea
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )

Flight Periods – Indicative –vs– Recorded Data
Elachista triatomea

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
Elachista triatomea
( 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 - Elachista triatomea – 5 records available

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

Site NameTetradDateCountStageRecorderSourceRecordKey
Gang Mine, CromfordSK25X09/06/20251adultAshton, Clivevc57_irecords_extractiBRC42153714
Main Street, Kings NewtonSK32Y06/06/20181AdultSoar, Willvc57_irecords_extractiBRC34060092
Main Street, Kings NewtonSK32Y11/06/20141AdultSoar, Willvc57_irecords_extractiBRC34677525
Cunning Dale, Buxton (site not precise)SK07W07/07/19972AdultI.F. Smithvc57_danes_bc_dataLC000334001COZ1R
Dovedale (site not precise)SK15L18/07/19481AdultR.G. Warrenvc57_danes_bc_dataLC000334001COQ96

Scroll to Top