38.032 BF602  –  Elachistidae – Elachista apicipunctella – Pearly Grass-miner – (Stainton, 1849) Adult Micro:  CAT 2 – Can be confused with other species –       Leaf-miner:  CAT L – The leaf or a Photo required – reared and possibly dissected       Larval Case:  C1 – Distinctive Species –       PDF Icon – click for General Verification Guidelines  |   PDF Icon – click for Specific Verification Guidelines
Green –  Rare / Uncommon / Scarce        purple – Leaf Miner
Taxonomy:   Micro   >>  Elachistidae
ID Difficulty:  amber  – care required in the identification process, as confusion with similar species is likely – quality photographs required.
Confusion Species:  Elachista albifrontella (White-headed Grass-miner); Elachista stabilella (Southern Grass-miner)
ID pointers: The moth has an extra white apical spot within the forewing beyond the tornal and costal spots. Also a characteristic white head
Distribution:  (Last record: 5 February 2024 at Cromford )  –  Likely an uncommon moth in the county – one from Cressbrook Dale in 1985 and a scattering of records between 2008 – 2024
General Comment: None
Flight Period: April /  May /  June /  July –  A single generation from April – June/July Mine Period:  January /  February /  March /  April /  September /  October /  November /  December
Mine Period Additional: The larvae mine the leaves of grasses
Mine ID Difficulty:  Red Mine Leaf – Mine cannot be identified without breeding through and then adult may need to be examined by Gen Det Prep.
Mine Type/s: Not Recorded
Mine Feeding Method/s: Not Recorded
Mine Comment: None.
Moth Activity: Cathemeral   – but can be disturbed during the day Photographed: Yes –  Photographed By: Marion Bryce  © All Rights Reserved
*** Last updated on 3 January 2026 by RP ***
Wingspan: 10-11mm
Food Plant: A variety of grasses such as Cock’s-foot, Creeping soft-grass, Tufted hair-grass
Last Recorded Year: 2024
Last Recorded By – Clive Ashton
Last Recorded General Area – Cromford

Selected Images:  

Stoney Cloud – Marion Bryce©



Distribution Map for Elachista apicipunctella

Found 7 records
    ↳ from 2026+
    ↳ 4 from 2020 - 2025
    ↳ 3 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 apicipunctella

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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: Elachista apicipunctella
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )

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


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

Shading shows moth presence between dates

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Recordings By Year: Elachista apicipunctella
( All data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )
Annual Growth Rate (AGR): Elachista apicipunctella
AGR: 0%   |   Total % Change: 0%

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

Flight Periods – Indicative –vs– Recorded Data
Elachista apicipunctella
( 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 2020-2026.

Mine Periods – Indicative –vs– Recorded Data
Elachista apicipunctella
( 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 apicipunctella – 7 records available

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

Site NameTetradDateCountStageSource
rose end meadowsSK25Y10/05/20251adultvc57_irecords_extract
upper cromford gardenSK25Y02/05/20241adultvc57_irecords_extract
belper coppice parkSK34N27/04/20241adultvc57_irecords_extract
Stoney CloudsSK43T14/05/20211adultvc57_irecords_extract
Ashover, DerbyshireSK36L09/05/20181adultvc57_irecords_extract
Millennium Meadow NR, DuffieldSK34L05/05/20141Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Alfreton Park, AlfretonSK45C21/05/20081Adultvc57_danes_bc_data

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