49.3431 BF1215  –  Tortricidae –  Olethreutinae – Thaumatotibia leucotreta – False Codling Moth – (Meyrick, 1913) Adult Micro:  CAT 3 – Very Rare/Scarce/Migrant/Adventive – confusion with leaf mines       PDF Icon – click for General Verification Guidelines  |   PDF Icon – click for Specific Verification Guidelines
Brown –  Significant Record / Very Rare / Vagrant        orange – Migrant
Taxonomy:   Micro   >>  Tortricidae  >> Olethreutinae
Other Name/s: Cryptophlebia leucotreta
ID Difficulty:  green  – easy to identify, generally distinctive and unlikely to be confused with other species.
ID pointers: The adult moths are sexually dimorphic, females being larger than males. Males have a diagnostic reduced hindwing with a small circular patch of shiny white scales containing a blackish mark. They also have a tuft of scales on the hind tibia giving rise to a swollen appearance. The moth is small, 7-8 mm in body length with a 15-20 mm wingspan. The forewing is brown/black and has some subtle wing patterning in the form of a complex of dark crescent marks in the apical region of the forewing, and each forewing also has a single spot of white scales. The hindwing is paler, and in the male is slightly reduced in size with a distinctive pale ‘key-hole’-shaped pocket on the hind margin.
Distribution:  (First record: 27 August 2024 )  –  (Last record: 27 August 2024 at Melbourne )  –  A specimen of this Afrotropical species was light trapped by Tony Davison in his Melbourne garden on 27th August 2024. The first record for VC57 & Derbyshire. The species is occasionally imported accidentally as a larva in oranges and other fruits, especially Capsicum frutescens (Chilli Peppers) and seeds. The species is a pest of fruit crops across its natural range in sub-Saharan Africa. A quite remarkable record.
Flight Period: August /  –  Unsure. Moth Activity: Nocturnal   – and is attracted to light Photographed: Yes –  Photographed By: Tony Davison  © All Rights Reserved
*** Last updated on 21 June 2025 by TD ***
Wingspan: 15-20mm
Food Plant: Oranges, Fruit, Chillies.
Last Recorded Year: 2024
First Recorded Year: 2024
Last Recorded By – Tony Davison
Last Recorded General Area – Melbourne

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Distribution Map for Thaumatotibia leucotreta

Found 1 records
    ↳ 0 from After 2025
    ↳ 1 from 2020 - 2024
    ↳ 0 from Before 2020

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******* 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 – Thaumatotibia leucotreta

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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: Thaumatotibia leucotreta
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )

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


First/Last Recorded Dates: Thaumatotibia leucotreta
Adult-only & Anything [Larvae, Pupae, Adult, Mines]

Shading shows moth presence between dates

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Recordings By Year: Thaumatotibia leucotreta
( All data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )
Annual Growth Rate (AGR): Thaumatotibia leucotreta
AGR: 0%   |   Total % Change: 0%
Thaumatotibia leucotreta
Insufficient records/data for an AGR analysis
Years Analysed: 2000 – 2025
Thaumatotibia leucotreta
Insufficient records/data for a CUSUM analysis
Years Analysed: 2000 – 2025

Hectad (10kmx10km) Coverage: Thaumatotibia leucotreta
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )

Flight Periods – Indicative –vs– Recorded Data
Thaumatotibia leucotreta
( 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 - Thaumatotibia leucotreta – 1 records available

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

TaxonSite NameTetradYearDateCountStageSource
Thaumatotibia leucotretaMelbourne, DerbyshireSK32X202427/08/20241adultvc57_irecords_extract

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