15.092 BF368  –  Gracillariidae –  Phyllocnistinae – Phyllocnistis unipunctella – Poplar Maize-miner – (Stephens, 1834) 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
Black – Uncertain/Unknown – Insufficient Data        purple – Leaf Miner
Taxonomy:   Micro   >>  Gracillariidae  >> Phyllocnistinae
Other Name/s: Poplar Bent-wing
ID Difficulty:  amber  – care required in the identification process, as confusion with similar species is likely – quality photographs required.
Confusion Species:  One of three very similar phyllocnistis species
ID pointers: The upper surface of the mine has a snail-like trail which is long and winding with no frass visible and can cover the whole leaf. The egg is normally found under the leaf. The Mine shown in the photograph is on Populus nigra (Black Poplar). Also found on Populas italica (Lombardy Poplar) and Populus trichocarpa (Black Cottonwood). A tiny whitish moth, with some yellowish suffusion, with a distinct black spot near the wing apex, along with several brownish wavy lines.
Distribution:  (Last record: 12 September 2024 at Belper )  –  Nationally a common species – Derbyshire status uncertain/unknown due to so few records, but probably reasonable common on Populus species – Leaf Mines are recorded
Flight Period: January /  February /  March /  April /  July /  September /  October /  November /  December /  –  July then Sept-April (Hibernates) Mine Period: June /  July /  August /   – The upper surface of the mine has a snail-like trail which is long and winding with no frass visible and can cover the whole leaf. The egg is normally found under the leaf. Photographed: Yes –  Photographed By: Dave Evans  © All Rights Reserved
*** Last updated on 6 May 2025 by RP ***
Wingspan: 7-8mm
Food Plant: Black Poplar, Lombardy Poplar
Last Recorded Year: 2024
Last Recorded By – Dave Evans
Last Recorded General Area – Belper

IMAGES BELOW:  Dave Evans © – July 21st 2021 – Belper / Dave Evans© Sept 12th 2024 – Belper

 
 

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Distribution Map for Phyllocnistis unipunctella

Found 9 records
    ↳ 0 from After 2025
    ↳ 3 from 2020 - 2024
    ↳ 6 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.

******* 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 – Phyllocnistis unipunctella

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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: Phyllocnistis unipunctella
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )

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


First/Last Recorded Dates: Phyllocnistis unipunctella
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: Phyllocnistis unipunctella
( All data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )
Annual Growth Rate (AGR): Phyllocnistis unipunctella
AGR: 0%   |   Total % Change: 0%


CUSUM Analysis: Phyllocnistis unipunctella
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 21 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 7 (July) 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 2023, reaching above average levels. The lowest population point occurred near 2020, 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: Phyllocnistis unipunctella
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )

Flight Periods – Indicative –vs– Recorded Data
Phyllocnistis unipunctella
( 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
Phyllocnistis unipunctella
( 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 - Phyllocnistis unipunctella – 9 records available

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

TaxonSite NameTetradYearDateCountStageSource
Phyllocnistis unipunctellaBelperSK34N202412/09/20241mine (empty)vc57_irecords_extract
Phyllocnistis unipunctellaMelbourne, DerbyshireSK42D202326/07/20235minevc57_irecords_extract
Phyllocnistis unipunctellaFormer Saint-Gobain Pipeworks, Staveley [centroid]SK47C202030/08/20201Adultvc57_irecords_extract
Phyllocnistis unipunctellaAlbert Village LakeSK31D201921/09/20191Adultvc57_irecords_extract
Phyllocnistis unipunctellaDerby (Bass Recreation Ground)SK33T201202/08/20121Larval Minevc57_danes_bc_data
Phyllocnistis unipunctellaHolme Hall, Cutthorpe, nr ChesterfieldSK37L199416/08/19941Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Phyllocnistis unipunctellaDeerlands Rd, Ashgate, ChesterfieldSK37K199424/04/19941Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Phyllocnistis unipunctellaHolly Wood NR, nr AshbourneSK14R198401/09/19841Larval Minevc57_danes_bc_data
Phyllocnistis unipunctellaRepton area (site not precise)SK32B190501/01/19051Adultvc57_danes_bc_data

 
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