– click for General Verification Guidelines | – click for Specific Verification Guidelines 
– Significant Record / Very Rare / Vagrant 
– Leaf Miner
– care required in the identification process, as confusion with similar species is likely – quality photographs required. Confusion Species: Spilonota ocellana
ID pointers: Please note Spilonota laricana was formerly thought a rather dark but distinctive form of Spilonota ocellana but is now a distinct species, separated with care by more extensive grey suffusion over half the wing and more extensive black dashes. However, a dark form of S. ocellana also occurs, where the paler areas of the wing are all darkened. S. laricana retains the pale dorsal central area. S. ocellana also has a broader forewing.
Distribution: (First record: 18 July 2017 at King's Newton ) – (Last record: 22 July 2024 at Tor-side reservoir ) – Appears to be only two records of this species which was formerly considered to be a form of Bud Moth (Spilonota ocellana).One from Kings Newton 18/7/2017 So this potentially a first record for the VC57, and one recorded from Tor-side Reservoir, Derbyshire in July 2024.
General Comment: None Mine Period Additional: The larvae mine the needles of the food plant then overwinter and feed on the yooung buds in the spring.
Mine ID Difficulty: Not Recorded
Mine Type/s: Not Recorded
Mine Feeding Method/s: Not Recorded
Mine Comment: None.
*** Last updated on 2 October 2025 by RP ***
Advanced Views (view_66fe991b74c74) template: Can't write template file
Selected Images: Tor-side Reservoir, Derbyshire – Christian Heintzen© / Kings Newton, Derbyshire – Will Soar© 18/7/2017.
Image Gallery
No gallery images found for this moth.
Distribution Map for Spilonota laricana
Found 4 records
↳ 2 from After 2025
↳ 1 from 2020 - 2024
↳ 1 from Before 2020
↳ 2 from After 2025
↳ 1 from 2020 - 2024
↳ 1 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.
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 – Spilonota laricana
⚠️ 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.
Monthly Records By Year:
Spilonota laricana
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )
Monthly Counts By Year: Spilonota laricana
( data is based on 'Adult' stage records only. )
First/Last Recorded Dates: Spilonota laricana
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: Spilonota laricana
( All data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )
Annual Growth Rate (AGR): Spilonota laricana
AGR: 0% | Total % Change: 0%
CUSUM Analysis: Spilonota laricana
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 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 2025, 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: Spilonota laricana
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )
Flight Periods – Indicative –vs– Recorded Data
Spilonota laricana
Spilonota laricana
( 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
Spilonota laricana
Spilonota laricana
( 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 - Spilonota laricana – 4 records available
Listed by Year - descending - scroll across to see all table columns
| Site Name | Tetrad | Date | Count | Stage | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Markham Vale South Tip , Derbyshire | SK47K | 24/07/2025 | 1 | adult | vc57_irecords_extract |
| Derby DE | SK33I | 05/07/2025 | 1 | adult | vc57_irecords_extract |
| Torside Reservoir northeast end | SK09U | 22/07/2024 | 1 | adult | vc57_irecords_extract |
| Main Street, Kings Newton | SK32Y | 18/07/2018 | 1 | Adult | vc57_irecords_extract |