15.086 BF364  –  Gracillariidae –  Lithocolletinae – Phyllonorycter geniculella – Sycamore Leaf-miner – (Ragonot, 1874) 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  >> Lithocolletinae
Other Name/s: Sycamore Midget
ID Difficulty:  amber  – care required in the identification process, as confusion with similar species is likely – quality photographs required.
Confusion Species:  P. acerifoliella, P. joannisi
ID pointers: A very attractive but tiny micro moth. A white base colour with rufous and black edged chevrons almost merging into each other.
Distribution:  (Last record: 31 October 2024 at Grange Wood )  –  A common species across much of England where the food plant, Acer pseudoplatanus (Sycamore) is established. Status in Derbyshire uncertain/unknown due to insufficient data, but most probably common and spreading. Maybe under-recorded.
Flight Period: May /  August /  –  On the wing during May and August. Mine Period: July /  October /   – July but more commonly in October. The mine is rounded, between veins, with several small creases. The leaf may fold downwards if mine is at the margin. Photographed: Yes –  Photographed By: Will Soar, Dave Evans  © All Rights Reserved
*** Last updated on 6 May 2025 by RP ***
Wingspan: 8mm
Food Plant: Sycamore Acer pseudoplatanus
Last Recorded Year: 2024
Last Recorded By – Graham Finch
Last Recorded General Area – Grange Wood

IMAGES BELOW:  Kings Newton – Will Soar ©

 
 

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Distribution Map for Phyllonorycter geniculella

Found 41 records
    ↳ 4 from After 2025
    ↳ 5 from 2020 - 2024
    ↳ 32 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 – Phyllonorycter geniculella

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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: Phyllonorycter geniculella
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )

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


First/Last Recorded Dates: Phyllonorycter geniculella
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: Phyllonorycter geniculella
( All data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )
Annual Growth Rate (AGR): Phyllonorycter geniculella
AGR: 4.31%   |   Total % Change: 175%


CUSUM Analysis: Phyllonorycter geniculella
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 12 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 8 (August) 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: Phyllonorycter geniculella
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )

Flight Periods – Indicative –vs– Recorded Data
Phyllonorycter geniculella
( 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
Phyllonorycter geniculella
( 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 - Phyllonorycter geniculella – 41 records available

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

Site NameTetradDateCountStageSource
DWT Wyver LaneSK34P02/09/20256mine (empty)vc57_irecords_extract
DWT Wyver LaneSK34P09/09/20252mine (empty)vc57_irecords_extract
DWT Wyver LaneSK34P26/08/20252mine (empty)vc57_irecords_extract
Graves Park, SheffieldSK38L26/08/20251minevc57_irecords_extract
BelperSK34N30/07/20241adultvc57_irecords_extract
Calke ParkSK32R07/10/20231Minevc57_irecords_extract
Calke ParkSK32R01/10/20231Minevc57_irecords_extract
Carver's RocksSK32G30/09/20231Minevc57_irecords_extract
North Lees Estate, HathersageSK28G25/07/20202pre-adultvc57_irecords_extract
Norton LeesSK38L03/08/20191adultDanes_2019-2021
Grange WoodSK21S13/09/20181Minevc57_irecords_extract
Main Street, Kings NewtonSK32Y04/09/20171Adultvc57_irecords_extract
Millers DaleSK17G03/09/20111Larval Minevc57_danes_bc_data
Thorpe, DovedaleSK15K13/10/20101Larval Minevc57_danes_bc_data
BamfordSK28B21/09/20101Larval Minevc57_danes_bc_data
Ladybower ResrSK18U03/09/20101Larval Minevc57_danes_bc_data
Ashford in the WaterSK16Z22/09/20101Larval Minevc57_danes_bc_data
Howden ResrSK19L25/08/20101Larval Minevc57_danes_bc_data
Padley Gorge, Nether PadleySK27P19/08/20101Larval Minevc57_danes_bc_data
HopeSK18R07/10/20091Larval Minevc57_danes_bc_data
Hopton Wood, CromfordSK25S16/10/20091Larval Minevc57_danes_bc_data
Coombs Dale,Stoney MiddletonSK27H12/10/20091Larval Minevc57_danes_bc_data
NorburySK14G01/10/20091Larval Minevc57_danes_bc_data
LinacreSK37L13/10/20091Larval Minevc57_danes_bc_data
CromfordSK25Y16/10/20091Larval Minevc57_danes_bc_data
Midway, Derbys.SK32A10/07/20091adultvc57_irecords_extract
Midway Rd,Midway,SwadlincoteSK32A10/07/20091Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Strines, New MillsSJ98T17/09/20081Larval Minevc57_danes_bc_data
Mousley Bottom, New MillsSJ98X03/09/20071Larval Minevc57_danes_bc_data
Cramside Wood (DWT reserve)SK17R20/06/20071Larval Minevc57_danes_bc_data
Clattercotes Wood, nr Ogston ResrSK36K12/07/20061Larval Minevc57_danes_bc_data
Main Street, Kings NewtonSK32Y05/09/20031Adultvc57_irecords_extract
Main Street, Kings NewtonSK32Y12/09/20032Adultvc57_irecords_extract
Main Street, Kings NewtonSK32Y16/09/20031Adultvc57_irecords_extract
Main St,Kings Newton,MelbourneSK32Y05/09/20031Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Main St,Kings Newton,MelbourneSK32Y12/09/20032Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Main St,Kings Newton,MelbourneSK32Y16/09/20031Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Main Street, Kings NewtonSK32Y25/08/20032Adultvc57_irecords_extract
Main St,Kings Newton,MelbourneSK32Y25/08/20032Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Brackley Gate, nr CoxbenchSK34W03/11/20011Larval Minevc57_danes_bc_data
Cubley, nr AshbourneSK13U04/10/20011Larval Minevc57_danes_bc_data

 
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