4.039 BF73  – Three-spot Dot – Stigmella trimaculella – (Haworth, 1828) 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
Black – Uncertain/Unknown – Insufficient Data        purple – Leaf-miner
Taxonomy:   Micro   >>  Nepticulidae  >> Nepticulinae
Other Name/s: Black-poplar Pigmy
ID Difficulty:  amber  – care required in the identification process, as confusion with similar species is likely – quality photographs required.
Confusion Species:  Etainia decentella
ID pointers: Adults are rather attractive and have cryptic wing pattern each with three creamy patches. One of a few Nepticulidae that can be identified as adults by forewing markings.
Distribution:  (Last record: 1 November 2025 at Alvaston Park , Derby )  –  Uncertain due to insufficient data – 1984 Holly Wood Leaf Mine recorded from Belper 6/8/2025, 13/8/2025 & Sinfin, Derby 24/8/2025, Alvaston Park 1/11/2025
General Comment: None
Flight Period: May /  August –  Two generations Mine Period:  June /  July /  September /  October
Mine Period Additional: The larvae mine the leaves of poplars and the mine usually starts with a narrow black central line of frasse
Mine ID Difficulty: Not Recorded
Mine Type/s: Not Recorded
Mine Feeding Method/s: Not Recorded
Mine Comment: None.
Moth Activity: Cathemeral   – occasionally attracted to light Photographed: Yes –  Photographed By: Andrew-John Shervill (Leaf Mine)  © All Rights Reserved
*** Last updated on 4 November 2025 by TD ***
Wingspan: 5-6mm
Food Plant: Poplars
Last Recorded Year: 2025
Last Recorded By – Andrew-John Shervill
Last Recorded General Area – Alvaston Park , Derby

Selected Images:  

Sinfin – Andrew-John Shervill© / Alvaston Park 1/11/2025 – Andrew John Shervill©



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

Distribution Map for Stigmella trimaculella

Found 7 records
    ↳ from 2026+
    ↳ 5 from 2020 - 2025
    ↳ 2 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 trimaculella

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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: Stigmella trimaculella
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )
No data returned from the database.

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


First/Last Recorded Dates: Stigmella trimaculella
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 trimaculella
( All data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )
Annual Growth Rate (AGR): Stigmella trimaculella
AGR: 2.48%   |   Total % Change: 80%

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

Flight Periods – Indicative –vs– Recorded Data
Stigmella trimaculella

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 trimaculella
( 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 trimaculella – 7 records available

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

Site NameTetradDateCountStageSource
Alvaston ParkSK33S01/11/20251minevc57_irecords_extract
Markham Vale Hall Lane PondSK47H04/10/20251minevc57_irecords_extract
Sinfin LNRSK33K24/08/20253minevc57_irecords_extract
DWT Wyver LaneSK34P13/08/20251mine (empty)vc57_irecords_extract
DWT Wyver LaneSK34P06/08/20253mine (empty)vc57_irecords_extract
Cubley, nr AshbourneSK13U04/10/20011Larval Minevc57_danes_bc_data
Newbold Ave, ChesterfieldSK37R04/09/197615Larval Minevc57_danes_bc_data

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