49.015 – BF980  –  Tortricidae –  Tortricinae – Archips xylosteana – Variegated Golden Tortrix – (Linnaeus, 1758) Adult Micro:  CAT 2 – Confusion Species –       Leaf-miner:  CAT A – Recorded accepted without the leaf or a photo –       Larval Case:  C1 – Distinctive Species –       PDF Icon – click for General Verification Guidelines  |   PDF Icon – click for Specific Verification Guidelines
Green –  Rare / Uncommon / Scarce   
Taxonomy:   Micro   >>  Tortricidae  >> Tortricinae
ID Difficulty:  green  – easy to identify, generally distinctive and unlikely to be confused with other species.
ID pointers: Forewing is pale yellowish-brown, sometimes darker, suffused greyish brown, with reddish-brown markings, including a dark bar from the dorsum near the base, and an oblique cross-band at about a half.
Distribution:  (Last record: 27 June 2024 at Chaddesden, Derby )  –  A handful of annual records would indicate that this is generally an uncommon Tortrix in the county. Since 1997 there have been 22 records – Favours woodland.
Flight Period: June /  July /  August /  –  On the wing during May – August. Moth Activity: Nocturnal  Crepuscular   – active from dusk and attracted to light Photographed: Yes –  Photographed By: Steve Orridge  © All Rights Reserved
*** Last updated on 26 October 2025 by TD ***
Wingspan: 15-23mm
Food Plant: Range of deciduous trees and shrubs.
Last Recorded Year: 2024
Last Recorded By – Martin Roome
Last Recorded General Area – Chaddesden, Derby

Selected Images:  Buxton, Derbyshire – Steve Orridge© / Calke Park – July 2021 – Graham Finch©



Distribution Map for Archips xylosteana

Found 22 records
    ↳ 3 from After 2025
    ↳ 9 from 2020 - 2024
    ↳ 10 from Before 2020
Flying
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 – Archips xylosteana

⚠️ 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: Archips xylosteana
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )

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


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


CUSUM Analysis: Archips xylosteana
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 9 (September) 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 2009, 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: Archips xylosteana
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )

Flight Periods – Indicative –vs– Recorded Data
Archips xylosteana
( 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 - Archips xylosteana – 22 records available

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

Site NameTetradDateCountStageSource
Darwin ForestSK26X04/07/20251adultvc57_irecords_extract
Norton Lees, SheffieldSK38L18/06/20251adultvc57_irecords_extract
Findern, DerbyshireSK33A13/06/20251adultvc57_irecords_extract
South WoodSK31U27/06/20245adultvc57_irecords_extract
Havercroft RoadSK38L25/06/20241Adultvc57_irecords_extract
Mickleover gardenSK33C21/06/20241adultvc57_irecords_extract
Buxton SK, UKSK07S26/06/20231Adultvc57_irecords_extract
Ladycroft AveSK07S25/06/20231adultvc57_irecords_extract
Sandiacre, Longmoor LaneSK43T17/06/20221adultvc57_irecords_extract
BelperSK34U03/07/20211adultvc57_irecords_extract
Havercroft RoadSK38L03/07/20211Adultvc57_irecords_extract
Calke ParkSK32L02/07/20211adultvc57_irecords_extract
The Hollies,Station Rd,Darley DaleSK26R05/09/20101Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Dovedale, Lin DaleSK15K15/08/20101adultvc57_irecords_extract
Dovedale (Lin Dale)SK15K15/08/20101Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Rose Av,ClowneSK57D22/07/20101Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Rose Av,ClowneSK57D21/07/20101Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
The Hollies,Station Rd,Darley DaleSK26R26/09/20093Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
The Hollies,Station Rd,Darley DaleSK26R25/09/20091Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Bristol Rd,IlkestonSK44R26/06/20091Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Edgecote Drive,Newhall,SwadlincoteSK22V09/06/20041Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Dowey Lumb NR, DronfieldSK38Q25/07/19971Adultvc57_danes_bc_data

Scroll to Top