14.009 BF273  – Lime Tuft  – Bucculatrix thoracella  – (Thunberg, 1794)
Adult Micro:  CAT 1 – Distinctive species unlikely to be confused with others –       Leaf-miner:  CAT L – The leaf or a Photo required – reared and possibly dissected       Larval Case:  C1 – Distinctive Species –      
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Black – Uncertain/Unknown – Insufficient Data        purple – Leaf-miner
Taxonomy:   Micro   >>  Bucculatricidae
Other Name/s: Lime Bent-wing
ID Difficulty:  green  – easy to identify, generally distinctive and unlikely to be confused with other species.
ID pointers: A tiny moth with a golden yellow ground colour with darker brown patches and a brown streak running through the middle to the cilia.
Distribution:  (Last record: 4 November 2025 at Derby )  –  Only four records on iRecord. Likely to be common on Lime but uncertain due to insufficient data, leaf mine discovered, Calke Park August 2025 and Derby 4/11/2025
General Comment: None
Flight Period: June –  On the wing during June. Mine Period:  July /  August
Mine Period Additional: None.
Mine ID Difficulty:  Amber Mine Leaf – Care required in ID process as confusion with similar leaf mines. Quality photos of the mine required.
Mine Type/s:  Gallery
Mine Feeding Method/s: Not Recorded
Mine Comment: The egg is found on the underside of the leaf. The mine is narrow and filled with black frass. Found on Tilia (Lime) Mining the leaves first then creating small feeding windows.
Moth Activity: Nocturnal   – but can be disturbed during the day Photographed: Yes –  Photographed By: Dave Evans, Andrew John Shervill  © All Rights Reserved
*** Last updated on 2 January 2026 by TD ***
Wingspan: 6-8mm
Food Plant: Small-Leaved Lime (Tilia cordata) and sometimes Common Lime (T. x vulgaris),
Last Recorded Year: 2025
Last Recorded By – Andrew John Shervill
Last Recorded General Area – Derby

Selected Images:  Belper, Derbyshire – Mine – Wyver Lane  – Dave Evans © / Derby Nov 2025 – Andrew John Shervill©



Temporal Distribution Chart
Adults: (between 2011 - 2025)  |  Immatures: (between 2001 - 2025)
(click legend below to show/hide datasets)
 

Distribution Map for Bucculatrix thoracella

Found 13 records
    ↳ from 2026+
    ↳ 2 from 2020 - 2025
    ↳ 11 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 – Bucculatrix thoracella

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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.

Visit NBN Site


Monthly Records By Year: Bucculatrix thoracella
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )

Monthly Counts By Year: Bucculatrix thoracella
( data is based on 'Adult' stage records only )

First/Last Recorded Dates: Bucculatrix thoracella
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: Bucculatrix thoracella
( All data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )
Annual Growth Rate (AGR): Bucculatrix thoracella
AGR: 2.93%   |   Total % Change: 100%

Hectad (10kmx10km) Coverage: Bucculatrix thoracella
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )

Flight Periods – Indicative –vs– Recorded Data
Bucculatrix thoracella

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
Bucculatrix thoracella
( 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 - Bucculatrix thoracella – 13 records available

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

Site NameTetradDateCountStageRecorderSourceRecordKey
Ingleby Ave, DerbySK33L04/11/20253mineShervill, Andrewvc57_irecords_extractiBRC46223966
BelperSK34U10/08/20251adultEvans, Davevc57_irecords_extractiBRC44352339
Grange WoodSK21S13/09/20181MineFinch, Graham Leonardvc57_irecords_extractiBRC35106435
Derby (Bass Recreation Ground)SK33T02/08/20121Larval MineR. Homanvc57_danes_bc_dataLC000334001CP89G
Backgarden MarehaySK34Z01/08/20111adultThorpe, Stevevc57_irecords_extractiBRC33513727
Bamford St,RipleySK34Z01/08/20111AdultThorpe, Stevevc57_danes_bc_dataLC000334001CP7FU
Thorpe, DovedaleSK15K13/10/20101Larval MineS.A. Orridge;S.H. Hindvc57_danes_bc_dataLC000334001CP6QC
BamfordSK28B21/09/20101Larval MineK. McCabe;S.H. Hindvc57_danes_bc_dataLC000334001CP6NY
CromfordSK25Y16/10/20091Larval MineDave Budworth;S.A. Orridge;S.H. Hindvc57_danes_bc_dataLC000334001CP55Q
Coombs Dale,Stoney MiddletonSK27H12/10/20091Larval MineS.H. Hindvc57_danes_bc_dataLC000334001COWZA
AshbourneSK14T01/10/20091Larval MineDave Budworth;S.A. Orridge;S.H. Hindvc57_danes_bc_dataLC000334001COWYE
Strines, New MillsSJ98T17/09/20081Larval MineS.H. Hindvc57_danes_bc_dataLC000334001COSO7
Broomfield Hall, Morley, DerbySK34V03/11/20011Larval MineS.H. Hindvc57_danes_bc_dataLC000334001CP1FE

 
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