Elachista maculicerusella
38.039 BF609  – Canary-grass Miner  – Elachista maculicerusella  – (Bruand, 1859)
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
Green –  Uncommon / Scarce         purple – Leaf-miner
Taxonomy:   Micro   >>  Elachistidae
Other Name/s: Elachista monosemiella, Triple-spot Dwarf
ID Difficulty:  green  – easy to identify, generally distinctive and unlikely to be confused with other species.
ID pointers: A small pale whitish-cream moth with an indistinct brownish cross-band and several darkish blotches. Slightly upturned appearance in the wing when at rest.
Distribution:  Relatively common across England but only a handful of records from the VC57 recording area of Derbyshire. Damp grassland, rivers, canal banks and wet woodland. Small isolated colonies
General Comment: None
Flight Period: May /  August –  On the wing in May & August Mine Period:  May
Mine Period Additional: A white or greenish blotch mine in central are of garss blade down from the tip.
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, Dave Evans, Neil Loverock  © All Rights Reserved
*** Last updated on 18 July 2026 by TD ***
Wingspan: 10-12mm
Food Plant: Reed Canary-grass (Phalaris arundiacea), Common Reed (Phragmites australis).
Last Recorded Year: 2026
Last Recorded By – Neil Loverock
Last Recorded General Area – Chaddesden

Possible Future Content


Images of Interest



Temporal Distribution Chart
Adults: (between 2004 - 2026)
(click legend below to show/hide datasets)
This chart summarises all available historical occurrence records collated by ISO week of the year. It reflects recorder effort and sampling distribution as well as true biological activity, and should be interpreted as an indicative pattern of seasonal occurrence rather than a statistically controlled abundance or phenology model.


Changes in First and Last Recorded Activity Dates Over Time
Activity Data Range: 2004 – 2026
Earliest Appearance: 5th May (in 2020)
Latest Appearance: 8th September (in 2016)
This chart presents a time-series summary of recorded observations. It is based on available records at the time of analysis and will evolve as further data are added. The rolling mean provides a smoothed representation of variation in recorded activity over time. Annual record totals are shown for context; years with fewer records may provide a less complete representation of activity than years with higher recording intensity. Interpretation should consider that apparent trends may reflect both biological change and variation in recording effort.

Distribution Map for Elachista maculicerusella

Found 22 records
    ↳ 10 from 2026+
    ↳ 7 from 2020 - 2025
    ↳ 5 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 maculicerusella

⚠️ 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 maculicerusella
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )

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

First/Last Recorded Dates: Elachista maculicerusella
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 maculicerusella
( All data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )
Annual Growth Rate (AGR): Elachista maculicerusella
AGR: -0.23%   |   Total % Change: -5%

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

Flight Periods – Indicative –vs– Recorded Data
Elachista maculicerusella

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 maculicerusella
( 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 maculicerusella – 22 records available

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

Site Name Tetrad Date Count Stage Recorder Source RecordKey
DWT Wyver Lane SK34P 05/08/2026 1 adult Evans, Dave vc57_irecords_extract iBRC55741482
DWT Wyver Lane SK34P 29/07/2026 2 adult Evans, Dave vc57_irecords_extract iBRC55461211
Bakewell SK26E 24/07/2026 1 adult Evans, Dave vc57_irecords_extract iBRC55319636
Allestree, Derby SK33P 23/07/2026 1 adult Plant, Stephen vc57_irecords_extract iBRC55249001
West Park Fox Covert LNR SK43W 23/07/2026 3 adult Bryce, Marion vc57_irecords_extract iBRC55414799
DWT Wyver Lane SK34P 22/07/2026 3 adult Evans, Dave vc57_irecords_extract iBRC55221866
DWT Wyver Lane SK34P 15/07/2026 3 adult Evans, Dave vc57_irecords_extract iBRC54932839
DWT Wyver Lane SK35K 09/07/2026 2 adult Dave Evans, Dave Newcombe & Richard Taylor vc57_irecords_extract iBRC54734984
Chaddesden Garden SK33T 05/07/2026 1 adult loverock, neil vc57_irecords_extract iBRC54544921
Sandiacre, Derbyshire SK43S 04/07/2026 2 adult Buxton, Paul vc57_irecords_extract iBRC54530824
DWT Wyver Lane SK35K 22/08/2025 4 Adult Evans, Dave, Dave Newcombe, Richard Taylor & Chris Brown vc57_irecords_extract iBRC44718054
Staveley Derbyshire SK47H 22/07/2024 1 Adult Morris, Sid vc57_irecords_extract iBRC37300755
Haddon Hall SK26I 10/08/2023 1 Adult S.A.Orridge, L.Y.Orridge, M Dale vc57_irecords_extract iBRC35077397
Staveley Derbyshire SK47H 16/06/2022 1 Adult Morris, Sid vc57_irecords_extract iBRC25914113
Main Street, Kings Newton SK32Y 07/08/2020 1 Adult Soar, Will vc57_irecords_extract iBRC34060097
Woodland Ave SK43R 07/05/2020 1 Adult Thorpe, Steve vc57_irecords_extract iBRC33500583
Golden Brook NR SK43R 05/05/2020 2 Adult Thorpe, Steve vc57_irecords_extract iBRC33500568
Main Street, Kings Newton SK32Y 19/07/2018 1 Adult Soar, Will vc57_irecords_extract iBRC34060098
Main Street, Kings Newton SK32Y 01/07/2017 2 Adult Soar, Will vc57_irecords_extract iBRC34060100
Main Street, Kings Newton SK32Y 08/09/2016 1 Adult Soar, Will vc57_irecords_extract iBRC34060099
Calke Park,Ticknall SK32L 02/06/2009 1 Adult Finch, Graham Leonard vc57_danes_bc_data LC000334001CP4OC
Main Street, Kings Newton SK32Y 11/06/2004 2 Adult Soar, Will vc57_irecords_extract iBRC34677524

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