4.026 BF100  –  Nepticulidae –  Nepticulinae – Stigmella oxyacanthella – Fruit-tree Dot – (Stainton, 1854) Adult Micro:  CAT 4 – Gen. Det. Required – Gen-Det-Reqd       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   >>  Nepticulidae  >> Nepticulinae
Other Name/s: Common Fruit-tree 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 paradoxa, Stigmella nylandriella
ID pointers: Plain dark forewings with a hint of purple and an orange head
Distribution:  (Last record: 5 November 2024 at Pottery Wood )  –  Uncertain due to insufficient data
Flight Period: June /  –  one generation Mine Period: September /  October /   – The larvae mine the leaves of hawthorn, apple and one or two other species. The mine is initially narrow with linear frass, but becomes wide with reddish frass in neat arcs. The larva is bright green. Moth Activity: Cathemeral   – occasionally attracted to light Photographed: Yes –  Photographed By: Steve Orridge  © All Rights Reserved
*** Last updated on 12 October 2025 by TD ***
Wingspan: 5-6mm
Food Plant: Hawthorn, Apple
Last Recorded Year: 2024
Last Recorded By – Graham Finch
Last Recorded General Area – Pottery Wood

Selected Images:  

Rose End Meadows (2009) – Steve Orridge©



Distribution Map for Stigmella oxyacanthella

Found 23 records
    ↳ 1 from After 2025
    ↳ 4 from 2020 - 2024
    ↳ 18 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 oxyacanthella

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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 oxyacanthella
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )

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


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


CUSUM Analysis: Stigmella oxyacanthella
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 2025, reaching above average levels. The lowest population point occurred near 2024, 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: Stigmella oxyacanthella
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )

Flight Periods – Indicative –vs– Recorded Data
Stigmella oxyacanthella
( 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.

Mine Periods – Indicative –vs– Recorded Data
Stigmella oxyacanthella
( 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 2020-2025.

Records Behind the Map and Charts - Stigmella oxyacanthella – 23 records available

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

Site NameTetradDateCountStageSource
Sunnydale LNRSK33G28/09/20251adultvc57_irecords_extract
Limestone Way near Millers DaleSK17G14/10/20241minevc57_irecords_extract
River Derwent, DerbySK33S21/09/20241minevc57_irecords_extract
Calke ParkSK32R07/10/20231Minevc57_irecords_extract
Calke ParkSK32R01/10/20231Minevc57_irecords_extract
Millers DaleSK17G03/09/20111Larval Minevc57_danes_bc_data
Thorpe, DovedaleSK15K13/10/20101Larval Minevc57_danes_bc_data
Kirk Dale, Ashford in the WaterSK16Z22/09/20101Larvavc57_irecords_extract
Lathkill DaleSK26D04/09/20101Larval Minevc57_danes_bc_data
Ashford in the WaterSK16Z22/09/20101Larval Minevc57_danes_bc_data
Rose End MeadowSK25Y16/10/20091minevc57_irecords_extract
Cromford, Matlock DE, UKSK25Y16/10/20091Larvavc57_irecords_extract
HopeSK18R07/10/20091Larval Minevc57_danes_bc_data
NorburySK14G01/10/20091Larval Minevc57_danes_bc_data
Coombs Dale,Stoney MiddletonSK27H12/10/20091Larval Minevc57_danes_bc_data
Tissington Trail, AshbourneSK14T01/10/20091Larval Minevc57_danes_bc_data
Hopton Wood NR, CromfordSK25T16/10/20091Larval Minevc57_danes_bc_data
Rose End Meadows NR,CromfordSK25Y16/10/20091Larval Minevc57_danes_bc_data
Monsall Trail, BuxtonSK17L14/09/20081Larval Minevc57_danes_bc_data
Carr Vale NR,BolsoverSK47K13/09/20061Larval Minevc57_danes_bc_data
Shallcross Wood, Goyt Valley, Whaley BridgeSK07E26/09/20061Larval Minevc57_danes_bc_data
Broomfield Hall, Morley, DerbySK34V03/11/20011Larval Minevc57_danes_bc_data
Abbotsholme School, RocesterSK13E04/10/20011Larval Minevc57_danes_bc_data

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