40.013 BF882  –  Momphidae – Mompha locupletella – Flame Mompha – ([Denis & Schiffermüller], 1775) Adult Micro:  CAT 2 – Confusion Species –       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
Brown –  Significant Record / Very Rare / Vagrant         purple – Leaf Miner
Taxonomy:   Micro   >>  Momphidae
Other Name/s: Red Mompha
ID Difficulty:  amber  – care required in the identification process, as confusion with similar species is likely – quality photographs required.
Confusion Species:  M,terminella
ID pointers: A very attractive species, with its combination of bright orange, white and silvery-grey patches.
Distribution:  (First record: 1955 )  –  (Last record: 23 August 2022 at Birch Vale )  –  Very few records since the first in 1955 would suggest Locally scarce. Shoiuld be found where there are Willowherbs. A scattering of records primarily from the NW of the county.
Flight Period: May /  June /  July /  August /  September /  –  On the wing May – September in two generations Mine Period: April /  May /   – The larvae mine the leaves of willowherbs (Epilobium) Moth Activity: Nocturnal   – and is attracted to light Photographed: Yes –  Photographed By: Steve Orridge  © All Rights Reserved
*** Last updated on 7 May 2025 by RP ***
Wingspan: 9-12mm
Food Plant: Willowherb (Epilobium).
Last Recorded Year: 2022
First Recorded Year: 1955
Last Recorded By – Jane Hewitt
Last Recorded General Area – Birch Vale

IMAGES BELOW:  Buxton, Derbyshire – Steve Orridge©

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Distribution Map for Mompha locupletella

Found 15 records
    ↳ 3 from After 2025
    ↳ 6 from 2020 - 2024
    ↳ 6 from Before 2020

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.

******* Choose ONLY one at a time, of either Monad, Tetrad or Hectad Distribution - each has it's own set of data. Also, the distribution maps cover ALL recorded data. *******

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.

Land-cover * shows the variety of land-cover within the VC57 area, based on the CORINE (Coordination of Information on the Environment) forty-four thematic classes of land-cover. This will show, to a greater or lesser degree, the number and variety of moths found in different land-cover types. The UK continues to operate within the Copernicus programme, with the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH) providing Corine Land Cover (CLC) datasets for the UK and its territories.


NBN Atlas UK Distribution for – Mompha locupletella

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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: Mompha locupletella
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )

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


First/Last Recorded Dates: Mompha locupletella
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 locupletella
( All data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )
Annual Growth Rate (AGR): Mompha locupletella
AGR: -3.15%   |   Total % Change: -25%


CUSUM Analysis: Mompha locupletella
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 18 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 7 (July) 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 2016, 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: Mompha locupletella
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )

Flight Periods – Indicative –vs– Recorded Data
Mompha locupletella
( 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
Mompha locupletella
( 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 - Mompha locupletella – 15 records available

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

TaxonSite NameTetradYearDateCountStageSource
Mompha locupletellaLadycroft Ave, BuxtonSK07S202518/07/20251adultvc57_irecords_extract
Mompha locupletellaAshwood Park, BuxtonSK07R202507/06/20251Adultvc57_irecords_extract
Mompha locupletellaHollington, DerbyshireSK24F202505/06/20251adultvc57_irecords_extract
Mompha locupletellaHollinscloughSK06N202417/06/20241Adultvc57_irecords_extract
Mompha locupletellaBuxton SK, UKSK07S202309/09/20231Adultvc57_irecords_extract
Mompha locupletellaBirch ValeSK08I202223/08/20221adultvc57_irecords_extract
Mompha locupletellaBirch ValeSK08I202107/09/20211Adultvc57_irecords_extract
Mompha locupletellaGlossop SK, UKSK09G202012/08/20201Adultvc57_irecords_extract
Mompha locupletellaBirch ValeSK08I202013/08/20201adultvc57_irecords_extract
Mompha locupletellaCalver and River DerwentSK27M201706/07/20172pre-adultvc57_irecords_extract
Mompha locupletellaWhite Knowle Road, BuxtonSK07R201703/06/20171Adultvc57_irecords_extract
Mompha locupletellaNot givenSK07R201703/06/20171Adultvc57_irecords_extract
Mompha locupletellaLadycroft AveSK07S201613/09/20161adultvc57_irecords_extract
Mompha locupletellaBuxton SK, UKSK07S201619/08/20161Adultvc57_irecords_extract
Mompha locupletellaLadycroft AveSK07S201630/08/20162adultvc57_irecords_extract

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