40.003 BF887  – Buff-headed Mompha – Mompha lacteella – (Stephens, 1834) Adult Micro:  CAT 3 – Very rare or scarce species (includes very scarce adventives/immigrants) – confusion with leaf mines       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
Brown –  Significant Record / Very Rare / Vagrant         purple – Leaf-miner
Taxonomy:   Micro   >>  Momphidae
Other Name/s: Rust-blotch Mompha
ID Difficulty:  amber  – care required in the identification process, as confusion with similar species is likely – quality photographs required.
Confusion Species:  Mompha propinquella
ID pointers: As with all the Mompha species they are colourful, attractive and distinctive. They rest low and flat in a horizontal position. Often have scale tufts. Head and thorax pale yellowish brown rather than whitish in M. propinquella. Forewing is greyish-brown to blackish-brown, with pale yellowish-brown basal blotch and several orange-brown marks and two large black scale tufts half way along the wing. Palps show a “bark band” halfway down, as well as one near the tip.
Distribution:  (First record: 1927 )  –  (Last record: 14 August 2025 at Glossop )  –  Nationally Scarce B – With two previous records dating back to 1927 and 3 records in June 2021 at Froggatt and Hathersage and a further record from Buxton in 2022 the status of this species remains as rare and notable. Most probably overlooked. Larvae on Broad-leaved Willow-herb. One from Glossop 14/8/25
General Comment: None
Flight Period: May /  June /  July –  On the wing May – July. Mine Period: Not Recorded
Mine Period Additional: The larvae mine the leaves of broad-leaved willowherb (Epilobium montanum)
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: Bryan Barnacle, The late Claire Miles, Christian Heintzen  © All Rights Reserved
*** Last updated on 7 November 2025 by RP ***
Wingspan: 9-13mm
Food Plant: Broad-leaved Willowherb (Epilobium montanum).
Last Recorded Year: 2025
First Recorded Year: 1927
Last Recorded By – Christian Heintzen
Last Recorded General Area – Glossop

Selected Images:  Froggatt, Derbyshire – Bryan Barnacle© / Hathersage – The late Claire Miles© / Glossop 14/8/25 – Christian Heintzen©



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

Distribution Map for Mompha lacteella

Found 6 records
    ↳ from 2026+
    ↳ 6 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 – Mompha lacteella

⚠️ 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: Mompha lacteella
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )

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


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

Hectad (10kmx10km) Coverage: Mompha lacteella
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )

Flight Periods – Indicative –vs– Recorded Data
Mompha lacteella

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
Mompha lacteella
( 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 - Mompha lacteella – 6 records available

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

Site NameTetradDateCountStageSource
Cown Edge Farm marshSK09A14/08/20251adultvc57_irecords_extract
Buxton (w)SK07R20/06/20251adultvc57_irecords_extract
Ladycroft AveSK07S08/08/20221adultvc57_irecords_extract
Hathersage, Derbyshire, UKSK28F29/06/20211adultvc57_irecords_extract
Hathersage, Derbyshire, UKSK28F09/06/20211adultvc57_irecords_extract
Birchfield, Jaggers Lane, HathersageSK28F09/06/20211adultDanes_2019-2021

Scroll to Top