38.039 BF609  –  Elachistidae – Elachista maculicerusella – Canary-grass Miner – (Bruand, 1859) Adult Micro:  CAT 2 – Can be confused with other species –       Leaf-miner:  CAT L – The leaf or a Photo required – reared and possibly dissected       PDF Icon – click for General Verification Guidelines  |   PDF Icon – click for Specific Verification Guidelines
Green –  Rare / Uncommon / Scarce        purple – Leaf Miner
Taxonomy:   Micro   >>  Elachistidae
Other Name/s: Elachista monosemiella, Triple-spot Dwarf
ID Difficulty:  green  – easy to identify, generally distinctive and unlikely to be confused with other species.
ID pointers: A small pale whitish-cream moth with an indistinct brownish cross-band and several darkish blotches. Slightly upturned appearance in the wing when at rest.
Distribution:  (Last record: 22 August 2025 at Wyver Lane, Belper )  –  Relatively common across England but only a handful of records from the VC57 recording area of Derbyshire. Damp grassland, rivers, canal banks and wet woodland. Small isolated colonies
General Comment: None
Flight Period: May /  August –  On the wing in May & August Mine Period:  May
Mine Period Additional: A white or greenish blotch mine in central are of garss blade down from the tip.
Mine ID Difficulty: Not Recorded
Mine Type/s: Not Recorded
Mine Feeding Method/s: Not Recorded
Mine Comment: None.
Moth Activity: Nocturnal   – and is attracted to light Photographed: Yes –  Photographed By: Will Soar, Dave Evans  © All Rights Reserved
*** Last updated on 2 October 2025 by RP ***
Wingspan: 10-12mm
Food Plant: Reed Canary-grass (Phalaris arundiacea), Common Reed (Phragmites australis).
Last Recorded Year: 2025
Last Recorded By – Dave Evans
Last Recorded General Area – Wyver Lane, Belper

Selected Images:  Kings Newton, Derbyshire – Tony Davison© / Wyver Lane (August 2025) Dave Evans©



Distribution Map for Elachista maculicerusella

Found 12 records
    ↳ from 2026+
    ↳ 7 from 2020 - 2025
    ↳ 5 from Before 2020
Flying
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Mining
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

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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 – Elachista maculicerusella

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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: Elachista maculicerusella
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )

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


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

Shading shows moth presence between dates

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Recordings By Year: Elachista maculicerusella
( All data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )
Annual Growth Rate (AGR): Elachista maculicerusella
AGR: 3.36%   |   Total % Change: 100%

Hectad (10kmx10km) Coverage: Elachista maculicerusella
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )

Flight Periods – Indicative –vs– Recorded Data
Elachista maculicerusella
( 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 2020-2026.

Mine Periods – Indicative –vs– Recorded Data
Elachista maculicerusella
( 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 2020-2026.

Records Behind the Map and Charts - Elachista maculicerusella – 12 records available

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

Site NameTetradDateCountStageSource
DWT Wyver LaneSK35K22/08/20254adultvc57_irecords_extract
Staveley DerbyshireSK47H22/07/20241adultvc57_irecords_extract
Haddon HallSK26I10/08/20231adultvc57_irecords_extract
Staveley DerbyshireSK47H16/06/20221adultvc57_irecords_extract
Main Street, Kings NewtonSK32Y07/08/20201Adultvc57_irecords_extract
Woodland AveSK43R07/05/20201adultvc57_irecords_extract
Golden Brook NRSK43R05/05/20202adultvc57_irecords_extract
Main Street, Kings NewtonSK32Y19/07/20181Adultvc57_irecords_extract
Main Street, Kings NewtonSK32Y01/07/20172Adultvc57_irecords_extract
Main Street, Kings NewtonSK32Y08/09/20161Adultvc57_irecords_extract
Calke Park,TicknallSK32L02/06/20091Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Main Street, Kings NewtonSK32Y11/06/20042Adultvc57_irecords_extract

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