Stenoptilia pterodactyla       Stenoptilia millieridactyla
45.013 BF1507  –  Pterophoridae –  Pterophorinae – Stenoptilia bipunctidactyla – Twin-spot Plume – (Scopoli, 1763) Adult Micro:  CAT 2 – Confusion Species –       PDF Icon – click for General Verification Guidelines  |   PDF Icon – click for Specific Verification Guidelines
Green –  Rare / Uncommon / Scarce   
Taxonomy:   Micro   >>  Pterophoridae  >> Pterophorinae
ID Difficulty:  amber  – care required in the identification process, as confusion with similar species is likely – quality photographs required.
Confusion Species:  Stenoptilia annadactyla (Small Scabious Plume); Stenoptilia pterodactyla (Brown Plume)
ID pointers: Smaller than Stenoptilia pterodactyla, greyish rather than brown, with more prominent spots to the forewing giving a peppered look.
Distribution:  (Last record: 21 June 2022 at Hartington Meadows )  –  Harrison & Sterling reported this species to be widespread, local and scattered records from most areas. 26 records from many areas between 1997 – 2013 (DaNES; 4 recent records on iRecord 2016-2024.
Flight Period: May /  June /  July /  August /  September /  October /  –  Two over-lapping generations between late May and October Moth Activity: Nocturnal   – active from dusk into the night Photographed: Yes –  Photographed By: Anthony Marriott  © All Rights Reserved
*** Last updated on 7 May 2025 by RP ***
Wingspan: 17-25mm
Food Plant: Field Scabious, Devil’s-bit Scabious and Small Scabious
Last Recorded Year: 2022
Last Recorded By – Anthony Marriott
Last Recorded General Area – Hartington Meadows
IMAGES BELOW:  

Hartington Meadows (2022) Anthony Marriott©

Stenoptilia bipunctidactyla - 21st June 2022 - Hartington Meadows - Anthony Marriott
Stenoptilia bipunctidactyla – 21st June 2022 – Hartington Meadows – Anthony Marriott
Stenoptilia bipunctidactyla - 21st June 2022 - Hartington Meadows - Anthony Marriott

no images were found

Distribution Map for Stenoptilia bipunctidactyla

Found 36 records
    ↳ 6 from After 2025
    ↳ 3 from 2020 - 2024
    ↳ 27 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 – Stenoptilia bipunctidactyla

⚠️ 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: Stenoptilia bipunctidactyla
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )

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


First/Last Recorded Dates: Stenoptilia bipunctidactyla
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: Stenoptilia bipunctidactyla
( All data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )
Annual Growth Rate (AGR): Stenoptilia bipunctidactyla
AGR: 0.67%   |   Total % Change: 16.7%


CUSUM Analysis: Stenoptilia bipunctidactyla
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 15 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 2010, reaching above average levels. The lowest population point occurred near 2023, 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: Stenoptilia bipunctidactyla
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )

Flight Periods – Indicative –vs– Recorded Data
Stenoptilia bipunctidactyla
( 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.

Records Behind the Map and Charts - Stenoptilia bipunctidactyla – 36 records available

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

TaxonSite NameTetradYearDateCountStageSource
Stenoptilia bipunctidactylaupper cromford gardenSK25Y202503/07/20251adultvc57_irecords_extract
Stenoptilia bipunctidactylaGang Mine, CromfordSK25X202509/06/20252adultvc57_irecords_extract
Stenoptilia bipunctidactylaMellorSJ98Z202517/06/20251adultvc57_irecords_extract
Stenoptilia bipunctidactylaupper cromford gardenSK25Y202520/06/20251adultvc57_irecords_extract
Stenoptilia bipunctidactylaupper cromford gardenSK25Y202525/06/20251adultvc57_irecords_extract
Stenoptilia bipunctidactylaBuxton SK, UKSK07S202529/06/20251Adultvc57_irecords_extract
Stenoptilia bipunctidactylaThornhill Carrs, Derbyshire, UKSK18X202316/07/20231Adultvc57_irecords_extract
Stenoptilia bipunctidactylaHartington MeadowsSK16K202221/06/20221adultvc57_irecords_extract
Stenoptilia bipunctidactylaDam DaleSK17D202010/08/20201adultvc57_irecords_extract
Stenoptilia bipunctidactylaBonsall LeysSK25T201714/06/20171not recordedvc57_irecords_extract
Stenoptilia bipunctidactylaLang Rd, Alvaston, DerbySK33R201304/07/20131Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Stenoptilia bipunctidactylaDovedaleSK15K201101/08/20111Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Stenoptilia bipunctidactylaDovedaleSK15K201101/08/20111Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Stenoptilia bipunctidactylaDovedaleSK15K201111/07/20111Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Stenoptilia bipunctidactylaDovedaleSK15K201111/07/20111Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Stenoptilia bipunctidactylaFar Cross,Cavendish Park,MatlockSK36A201104/07/20111Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Stenoptilia bipunctidactylaDovedaleSK15K201111/07/20111Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Stenoptilia bipunctidactylaDovedaleSK15K201111/07/20111Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Stenoptilia bipunctidactylaDovedaleSK15K201111/07/20111Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Stenoptilia bipunctidactylaBonsall Moor,Bonsall,CromfordSK25T201114/06/20111Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Stenoptilia bipunctidactylaSchool Close,Parkway Gardens,Darley DaleSK26R201120/06/20111Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Stenoptilia bipunctidactylaDovedaleSK15K201030/07/20101Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Stenoptilia bipunctidactylaDovedaleSK15K201030/07/20102Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Stenoptilia bipunctidactylaDovedale (stepping stones)SK15K201030/07/20102Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Stenoptilia bipunctidactylaBiggin Dale, nr HartingtonSK15P201006/07/20102Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Stenoptilia bipunctidactylaDovedaleSK15K201025/07/20102Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Stenoptilia bipunctidactylaDovedaleSK15K201030/07/20102Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Stenoptilia bipunctidactylaDovedaleSK15K201030/07/20103Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Stenoptilia bipunctidactylaCrich Chase Road Meadows (east), AmbergateSK35L200804/07/20081Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Stenoptilia bipunctidactylaFar Cross,Cavendish Park,MatlockSK36A200825/07/20082Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Stenoptilia bipunctidactylaThe Hollies,Station Rd,Darley DaleSK26R200411/07/20041Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Stenoptilia bipunctidactylaWood Lane,Newhall,SwadlincoteSK22V200303/09/20031Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Stenoptilia bipunctidactylaRose End Meadows NR,CromfordSK25Y200204/08/20021Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Stenoptilia bipunctidactylaBonsal MoorSK25T200226/07/20021Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Stenoptilia bipunctidactylaRose End Meadows NR,CromfordSK25Y200228/06/20021Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Stenoptilia bipunctidactylaCunning Dale, Buxton (site not precise)SK07W199716/07/199712Adultvc57_danes_bc_data

Stenoptilia pterodactyla       Stenoptilia millieridactyla

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