40.010 BF893  –  Momphidae – Mompha epilobiella – Buff Mompha – ([Denis & Schiffermüller], 1775) Adult Micro:  CAT 2 – Confusion 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   >>  Momphidae
Other Name/s: Common Mompha
ID Difficulty:  amber  – care required in the identification process, as confusion with similar species is likely – quality photographs required.
Confusion Species:  M.ochraceella
ID pointers: A distinctive little moth that rests low and flat in a horizontal position. The wings are held roof like and curl slightly around the body. Giving it a slightly tapered appearance. Forewing colour is a creamy yellowish with darker yellowish-brown markings. a faint costal spot at three quarters. Several very small scale tufts along the dorsum.
Distribution:  (Last record: 25 August 2024 at Cromford )  –  Appears to be locally widespread but not common despite it being common nationally wherever the food-plant occurs. Just scattered records
Flight Period: January /  February /  March /  April /  May /  June /  July /  August /  September /  October /  November /  December /  –  On the wing throughout the year. Hibernates  – Larvae mine the leaves of Willowherbs Moth Activity: Nocturnal   – and is attracted to light Photographed: Yes –  Photographed By: Tony Davison  © All Rights Reserved
*** Last updated on 2 October 2025 by RP ***
Wingspan: 10-13mm
Food Plant: Various Willowherbs
Last Recorded Year: 2024
Last Recorded By – Clive Ashton
Last Recorded General Area – Cromford

Selected Images:  Melbourne, Derbyshire – Tony Davison©



Distribution Map for Mompha epilobiella

Found 14 records
    ↳ 3 from After 2025
    ↳ 4 from 2020 - 2024
    ↳ 7 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

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 – Mompha epilobiella

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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: Mompha epilobiella
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )

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


First/Last Recorded Dates: Mompha epilobiella
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: Mompha epilobiella
( All data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )
Annual Growth Rate (AGR): Mompha epilobiella
AGR: 1.38%   |   Total % Change: 33.3%


CUSUM Analysis: Mompha epilobiella
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 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: Mompha epilobiella
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )

Flight Periods – Indicative –vs– Recorded Data
Mompha epilobiella
( 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
Mompha epilobiella
( 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 - Mompha epilobiella – 14 records available

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

Site NameTetradDateCountStageSource
Belper, DerbyshireSK34N25/07/20251adultvc57_irecords_extract
Derby DESK33I05/07/20251adultvc57_irecords_extract
Derby DESK33I27/06/20252adultvc57_irecords_extract
upper cromford gardenSK25Y25/08/20241adultvc57_irecords_extract
Forbes Hole LNRSK43W19/07/20241adultvc57_irecords_extract
Birch ValeSK08I23/07/20211Adultvc57_irecords_extract
Melbourne, DerbyshireSK32X29/07/20201adultvc57_irecords_extract
Main Street, Kings NewtonSK32Y17/07/20181Adultvc57_irecords_extract
Backgarden MarehaySK34Z21/05/20151adultvc57_irecords_extract
Far Cross,Cavendish Park,MatlockSK36A01/11/20071Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Middle Peak Quarry, WirksworthSK25X07/06/20051Larvaevc57_danes_bc_data
Main Street, Kings NewtonSK32Y25/03/20041Adultvc57_irecords_extract
Holme Hall, Cutthorpe, nr ChesterfieldSK37L20/08/19941Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Holme Hall, Cutthorpe, nr ChesterfieldSK37L16/08/19941Adultvc57_danes_bc_data

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