45.039 BF1519  –  Pterophoridae –  Pterophorinae – Hellinsia carphodactyla – Citron Plume – (Hübner, [1813]) Adult Micro:  CAT 2 – Confusion Species –       Larval Case:  C2 – Photo or specimen of larval case/plant required –       PDF Icon – click for General Verification Guidelines  |   PDF Icon – click for Specific Verification Guidelines
Green –  Rare / Uncommon / Scarce   
Taxonomy:   Micro   >>  Pterophoridae  >> Pterophorinae
Other Name/s: Euleioptilus carphodactyla
ID Difficulty:  amber  – care required in the identification process, as confusion with similar species is likely – quality photographs required.
Confusion Species:  Oidaematophorus lithodactyla
and Hellinsia lienigianus
ID pointers: The wing and clefts are a pale yellow scattered with darker brown scales.
Distribution:  (First record: 14 June 2009 at Dovedale )  –  (Last record: 26 July 2024 at Cromford )  –  Status in the county unknown due to so few records, but suspect it is local, uncommon and confined to the central areas of the limestone belt. First recorded from Dovedale on 14.06.2009 (Gen Det). A second record came from Pleasley Colliery CP 20/06/2010 and the latest record from Cromford 26/07/2024
Flight Period: June /  August /  September /  –  Two generations – June & August – September Moth Activity: Nocturnal   – and is attracted to light Photographed: Yes –  Photographed By: Clive Ashton  © All Rights Reserved
*** Last updated on 2 October 2025 by RP ***
Wingspan: 14-23mm
Food Plant: Ploughman’s spikenard & Carline Thistle.
Last Recorded Year: 2024
First Recorded Year: 2009
Last Recorded By – Clive Ashton
Last Recorded General Area – Cromford

Selected Images:  Cromford (2024) – Clive Ashton© 



Distribution Map for Hellinsia carphodactyla

Found 5 records
    ↳ 0 from After 2025
    ↳ 1 from 2020 - 2024
    ↳ 4 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 – Hellinsia carphodactyla

⚠️ Please wait for the map to load fully – do not click the link shown.


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: Hellinsia carphodactyla
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )

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


First/Last Recorded Dates: Hellinsia carphodactyla
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: Hellinsia carphodactyla
( All data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )
Annual Growth Rate (AGR): Hellinsia carphodactyla
AGR: -3.35%   |   Total % Change: -40%


CUSUM Analysis: Hellinsia carphodactyla
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 23 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 2009, 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: Hellinsia carphodactyla
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )

Flight Periods – Indicative –vs– Recorded Data
Hellinsia carphodactyla
( 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.

Records Behind the Map and Charts - Hellinsia carphodactyla – 5 records available

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

Site NameTetradDateCountStageSource
upper cromford gardenSK25Y26/07/20241adultvc57_irecords_extract
Newboundmill Lane,PleasleySK56C20/06/20101Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
DovedaleSK15K05/07/20091Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
DovedaleSK15K05/07/20093Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
DovedaleSK15K14/06/20091Adultvc57_danes_bc_data

Scroll to Top