35.071 BF736  –  Gelechiidae –  Anomologinae – Monochroa lucidella – Spike-rush Borer – (Stephens, 1834) Adult Micro:  CAT 2 – Can be confused with other species –       Leaf-miner:  CAT A – Recorded accepted without the leaf or a photo –       Larval Case:  C1 – Distinctive Species –       PDF Icon – click for General Verification Guidelines  |   PDF Icon – click for Specific Verification Guidelines
Black – Uncertain/Unknown – Insufficient Data        day-flying – Day-flying
Taxonomy:   Micro   >>  Gelechiidae  >> Anomologinae
Other Name/s: Buff-marked Neb
ID Difficulty:  amber  – care required in the identification process, as confusion with similar species is likely – quality photographs required.
ID pointers: The forewings are very pointed, brownish-grey, sprinkled with ochreous-whitish, sometimes forming indistinct darker and lighter banding ; an oblong ochreous-whitish suffusion cilia, followed by a dark brownish-grey dot; a very indistinct ochreous-whitish tornal spot beneath this, and costal spot beyond it. Hind-wings are grey.
Distribution:  (Last record: 10 July 2025 at Belper )  –  Unknown/Uncertain Harrison & Sterling mention a record from Repton but no date. Only 3 modern day records, two from Sandiacre 9/7/2024 & 17/7/2024 were noted as plausible by the Gelechiid recorder as no photographs could be provided to support the records and one recorded from Belper (photographed) 10th July 2025
General Comment: None
Flight Period: June /  July –  On the wing during the afternoon in June and July Moth Activity: Diurnal  – can be seen flying late afternoon around the foodplant. Photographed: Yes –  Photographed By: Dave Evans  © All Rights Reserved
*** Last updated on 1 November 2025 by TD ***
Wingspan: 12-14mm
Food Plant: Common Spike-rush
Last Recorded Year: 2025
Last Recorded By – Dave Evans
Last Recorded General Area – Belper

Selected Images:  Belper, Derbyshire – Dave Evans ©

 


 

Distribution Map for Monochroa lucidella

Found 3 records
    ↳ from 2026+
    ↳ 3 from 2020 - 2025
    ↳ from Before 2020
Flying
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 – Monochroa lucidella

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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: Monochroa lucidella
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )

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


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

Shading shows moth presence between dates

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Recordings By Year: Monochroa lucidella
( All data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )
Annual Growth Rate (AGR): Monochroa lucidella
AGR: 0%   |   Total % Change: 0%

Hectad (10kmx10km) Coverage: Monochroa lucidella
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )

Flight Periods – Indicative –vs– Recorded Data
Monochroa lucidella
( 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.

Records Behind the Map and Charts - Monochroa lucidella – 3 records available

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

Site NameTetradDateCountStageSource
BelperSK34N21/07/20251adultvc57_irecords_extract
SandiacreSK43S17/07/20241adultvc57_irecords_extract
SandiacreSK43S09/07/20241adultvc57_irecords_extract

 
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