4.012 BF102  – Maple Dot – Stigmella aceris – (Frey, 1857) Adult Micro:  CAT 4 – Dissection required – Gen-Det-Reqd       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
Blue –  Generally Common / Widespread        purple – Leaf-miner
Taxonomy:   Micro   >>  Nepticulidae  >> Nepticulinae
** Identification write-up required **
Other Name/s: Scarce Maple Pigmy
ID Difficulty:  Red – difficult to identify – detailed examination required, often a Gen Det and/or specimen and quality photographs are required.
Confusion Species: Stigmella speciosa / Stigmella crataegella
ID pointers: The adult moth is very small, with a wingspan of only 3.7-4.7 mm. The forewing is dark brown with a golden bronze and purple sheen, featuring a notable white or golden fascia (band).
Distribution:  Widespread and increasing
General Comment: Notes by Christian heintzen on image dated 23/10/2025 – on Norway Maple (Acer platanoides) (A) > gallery mine (B) filled with greenish coiled frass (C), later brown > shining egg (here) on underside of leaf (D,E)
Flight Period: May /  July /  August Mine Period:  June /  July /  August /  September
Mine Period Additional: The larvae mine the leaves of Field Maple and Norway Maple from end of June-early July, August-early September.
Mine ID Difficulty:  Amber Mine Leaf – Care required in ID process as confusion with similar leaf mines. Quality photos of the mine required.
Mine Type/s:  Gallery
Mine Feeding Method/s: Not Recorded
Mine Comment: The larvae create a narrow corridor-shaped (gallery) mine within the leaf, which is initially filled with green frass. As the mine ages, the frass turns brown, making vacated mines easy to spot, especially in autumn.
 – but can be disturbed during the day Photographed: Yes –  Photographed By: Pete Mella; Tony Davison, Christian Heintzen  © All Rights Reserved
*** Last updated on 8 December 2025 by TD ***
Wingspan: 4mm
Food Plant: Filed Maple – Norway Maple
Specific Recorded History Dates for Common [Blue code Blue-coded] moths is not displayed/updated in this tab. However, all verified records for this moth are listed in the RECORDS tab below.

Selected Images:  

Norton Lees (August 2025) Pete Mella© / Willington Wetlands (October 2025) Tony Davison© / Glossop 23/10/2025 – Christian Heintzen©



Occurrence Distribution From All Available Data (Adult & Immature)
(click legend below to show/hide datasets)

Distribution Map for Stigmella aceris

Found 23 records
    ↳ from 2026+
    ↳ 23 from 2020 - 2025
    ↳ 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 – Stigmella aceris

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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: Stigmella aceris
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )

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


First/Last Recorded Dates: Stigmella aceris
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: Stigmella aceris
( All data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )
Annual Growth Rate (AGR): Stigmella aceris
AGR: 118.98%   |   Total % Change: 950%

Hectad (10kmx10km) Coverage: Stigmella aceris
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )

Flight Periods – Indicative –vs– Recorded Data
Stigmella aceris

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
Stigmella aceris
( 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 - Stigmella aceris – 23 records available

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

Site NameTetradDateCountStageSource
Glossop, Turnlee RoadSK09G23/10/20251Leaf-minevc57_irecords_extract
Willington Wetlands, DerbyshireSK22Y22/10/20254mine (empty)vc57_irecords_extract
Willington WetlandsSK22Y11/10/202510mine (empty)vc57_irecords_extract
Sunnydale LNRSK33G07/10/20251minevc57_irecords_extract
Darwin ForestSK26X04/10/20252mine (empty)vc57_irecords_extract
A, Derby South Services, Ashton-on-Trent.SK43F26/09/202514mine (empty)vc57_irecords_extract
Sunnyhill Park, DerbySK33L23/09/202510minevc57_irecords_extract
DWT Wyver LaneSK34P09/09/20251mine (empty)vc57_irecords_extract
Ingleby Ave, DerbySK33L22/08/202550minevc57_irecords_extract
Meersbrook ParkSK38M22/08/20251minevc57_irecords_extract
Sunnydale LNR, LittleoverSK33G21/08/202550minevc57_irecords_extract
DWT Wyver LaneSK34P20/08/20251mine (empty)vc57_irecords_extract
Norton Lees (Brindley Estate)SK38L15/08/20251minevc57_irecords_extract
Graves Park (Chantreyland Meadow)SK38K15/08/20251Adultvc57_irecords_extract
Alvaston Park, DerbySK33S21/09/20241minevc57_irecords_extract
River Derwent, DerbySK33S21/09/20241minevc57_irecords_extract
Spring LakesSK53A15/08/20241minevc57_irecords_extract
Poppy WoodSK32S22/11/20231Minevc57_irecords_extract
Calke ParkSK32R01/10/20231Minevc57_irecords_extract
Carver's RocksSK32H21/09/20231Minevc57_irecords_extract
Springwater LakesSK53B19/08/20231minevc57_irecords_extract
Rosliston Forest CentreSK21N15/10/20221othervc57_irecords_extract
Allestree ParkSK34K25/09/20221Minevc57_irecords_extract

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