Leaf-miner: CAT L – The leaf or a Photo required – 
Larval Case: C1 – Distinctive Species – 
– click for General Verification Guidelines | – click for Specific Verification Guidelines 
– Significant Record / Very Rare / Vagrant 
– Leaf Miner
– difficult to identify – detailed examination required, often a Gen Det and/or specimen and quality photographs are required. ID pointers: A very small moth with a wingspan of only 4-5 mm. Adults are difficult to distinguish from other Stigmella species by appearance alone. Requires Gen Det to determine ID.
Distribution: (First record: 24 August 2025 at Ladybower Reservoir Car Park ) – (Last record: 24 August 2025 at Ladybower reservoir car park ) – In the UK, it is considered rare and has a provisional status of pRDB2 (Vulnerable). It is most frequently recorded in woodland areas where its primary host, the Wild Service-tree, is present. First record for VC57 Derbyshire – the leaf mine discovered in the car park at Ladybower Reservoir 24th August 2025
General Comment: None Mine Period Additional: None.
Mine ID Difficulty:
– Care required in ID process as confusion with similar leaf mines. Quality photos of the mine required. Mine Type/s: Gallery, Blotch
Mine Feeding Method/s: Not Recorded
Mine Comment: It is primarily identified by the unique leaf mines its larvae create on specific host plants. The larva creates a full-depth gallery mine that gradually widens, ending in an elongated blotch. The frass typically forms a central line roughly one-third the width of the corridor. . The egg is located on the upper-side of the leaf, often away from a vein.
*** Last updated on 1 January 2026 by RP ***
Last Recorded Year: 2025
First Recorded Year: 2025
Last Recorded By – Neil Sherman
Last Recorded General Area – Ladybower reservoir car park
Selected Images:
Ladybower Car park – 24/8/2025 – Neil Sherman©
Image Gallery
Distribution Map for Stigmella mespilicola
Found 1 records
↳ from 2026+
↳ 1 from 2020 - 2025
↳ from Before 2020
↳ from 2026+
↳ 1 from 2020 - 2025
↳ from Before 2020
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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 mespilicola
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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.
Monthly Records By Year:
Stigmella mespilicola
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )
Monthly Counts By Year: Stigmella mespilicola
( data is based on 'Adult' stage records only. )
First/Last Recorded Dates: Stigmella mespilicola
Adult-only & Anything [Larvae, Pupae, Adult, Mines]
Shading shows moth presence between dates
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Recordings By Year: Stigmella mespilicola
( All data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )
Annual Growth Rate (AGR): Stigmella mespilicola
AGR: 0% | Total % Change: 0%
Stigmella mespilicola
Insufficient records/data for an AGR analysis
Years Analysed: 2000 – 2025
Hectad (10kmx10km) Coverage: Stigmella mespilicola
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )
Flight Periods – Indicative –vs– Recorded Data
Stigmella mespilicola
Stigmella mespilicola
( 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
Stigmella mespilicola
Stigmella mespilicola
( 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 mespilicola – 1 records available
Listed by Year - descending - scroll across to see all table columns
| Site Name | Tetrad | Date | Count | Stage | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ladybower reservoir car park | SK18Y | 24/08/2025 | 1 | Larva | vc57_irecords_extract |