45.033 BF1510  –  Pterophoridae –  Pterophorinae – Merrifieldia leucodactyla – Thyme Plume – (Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775) Adult Micro:  CAT 2 – Confusion Species –       PDF Icon – click for General Verification Guidelines  |   PDF Icon – click for Specific Verification Guidelines
Black – Uncertain/Unknown – Insufficient Data   
Taxonomy:   Micro   >>  Pterophoridae  >> Pterophorinae
** This moth species page is currently incomplete **
Other Name/s: Pterophorus tridactyla
ID Difficulty:  amber  – care required in the identification process, as confusion with similar species is likely – quality photographs required.
Confusion Species:  Merrifieldia baliodactylus (Dingy White Plume)
Distribution:  (Last record: 26 June 2021 at Deep Dale )  –  Uncertain but likely to be under recorded – Harrison & Sterling described this species to be fairly common in the dales where Thyme grows. Modern day records are 2010 Biggin Dale, 2011 Bonsall Moor and Deep Dale 26/6/2021.
Flight Period: June /  July /  August /  –  One generation June – August flies at night Moth Activity: Nocturnal   – and is attracted to light Photographed: Yes –  Photographed By: Stephen Moores  © All Rights Reserved
*** Last updated on 25 August 2025 by TD ***
Wingspan: 21mm
Food Plant: Thyme
Last Recorded Year: 2021
Last Recorded By – Stephen Moores
Last Recorded General Area – Deep Dale

IMAGES BELOW:  

Deep Dale (2021) Stephen Moores©

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Distribution Map for Merrifieldia leucodactyla

Found 4 records
    ↳ 0 from After 2025
    ↳ 1 from 2020 - 2024
    ↳ 3 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 – Merrifieldia leucodactyla

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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: Merrifieldia leucodactyla
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )

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


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


CUSUM Analysis: Merrifieldia leucodactyla
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 23 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 2010, 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: Merrifieldia leucodactyla
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )

Flight Periods – Indicative –vs– Recorded Data
Merrifieldia leucodactyla
( 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 - Merrifieldia leucodactyla – 4 records available

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

TaxonSite NameTetradYearDateCountStageSource
Merrifieldia leucodactylaDeep Dale and Topley Pike Nature ReserveSK07V202126/06/20211Adultvc57_irecords_extract
Merrifieldia leucodactylaBonsall Moor,Bonsall,CromfordSK25T201110/07/20111Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Merrifieldia leucodactylaBiggin DaleSK15P201006/07/20101Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Merrifieldia leucodactylaBurton on Trent area (site not precise)SK22K190511/02/19051Adultvc57_danes_bc_data

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