Stigmella sorbi       Stigmella lemniscella
4.042 BF67  –  Nepticulidae –  Nepticulinae – Stigmella plagicolella – Blue-shot Dot – (Stainton, 1854) Adult Micro:  CAT 4 – Gen. Det. Required – Gen-Det-Reqd       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   >>  Nepticulidae  >> Nepticulinae
Other Name/s: Scrubland Pigmy
ID Difficulty:  Red – difficult to identify – detailed examination required, often a Gen Det and/or specimen and quality photographs are required.
Confusion Species: Stigmella filipendulae
ID pointers: Adults have an orange-brown head with dark forewings that show a bronzy and purple sheens and a neat whitish fascia.
Distribution:  (Last record: 20 August 2025 at Belper )  –  Uncertain as few records of adult. Leaf mines from a number of sites across the recording area. Leaf Mines surveyed at Wyver Lane, Belper 20/8/2025
Flight Period: May /  June /  August /  –  2 generations in May-June and August Mine Period: July /  September /  October /   – The leaf mine is a roundish blotch which begins as a narrow gallery, with Frass at the centre. Moth Activity: Cathemeral   – and is attracted to light Photographed: Yes –  Photographed By: Martin C.Harvey; Dave Evans; Steve Orridge  © All Rights Reserved
*** Last updated on 20 August 2025 by TD ***
Wingspan: 4-5mm
 Food Plant: Prunus and Blackthorn
Last Recorded Year: 2025
Last Recorded By – Dave Evans
Last Recorded General Area – Belper
IMAGES BELOW:  

Wyver Lane – Dave Evans©; Monsal Head – Martin Harvey©; Rose End Meadows – Steve Orridge©

Stigmella plagicolella - 30th October 2024 -Wyver Lane - Dave Evans
Stigmella plagicolella – 30th October 2024 -Wyver Lane – Dave Evans
Stigmella plagicolella - 14th October 2024 - Monsal Head - Martin C Harvey
Stigmella plagicolella – 14th October 2024 – Monsal Head – Martin C Harvey
Stigmella plagicolella - 16th October 2009 - Rose End Meadows - Steve Orridge
Stigmella plagicolella – 16th October 2009 – Rose End Meadows – Steve Orridge
Stigmella plagicolella - 20th August 2025 - Wyver Lane - Dave Evans
Stigmella plagicolella – 20th August 2025 – Wyver Lane – Dave Evans
Stigmella plagicolella - 30th October 2024 -Wyver Lane - Dave Evans
Stigmella plagicolella - 14th October 2024 - Monsal Head - Martin C Harvey
Stigmella plagicolella - 16th October 2009 - Rose End Meadows - Steve Orridge
Stigmella plagicolella - 20th August 2025 - Wyver Lane - Dave Evans

Stigmella plagicolella on Blackthorn Stigmella plagicolella on Blackthorn

Distribution Map for Stigmella plagicolella

Found 29 records
    ↳ 5 from After 2025
    ↳ 13 from 2020 - 2024
    ↳ 11 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 – Stigmella plagicolella

⚠️ 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: Stigmella plagicolella
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )
No data returned from the database.

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


First/Last Recorded Dates: Stigmella plagicolella
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: Stigmella plagicolella
( All data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )
Annual Growth Rate (AGR): Stigmella plagicolella
AGR: 11.37%   |   Total % Change: 460%


CUSUM Analysis: Stigmella plagicolella
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 19 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 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: Stigmella plagicolella
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )

Flight Periods – Indicative –vs– Recorded Data
Stigmella plagicolella
( 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
Stigmella plagicolella
( 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 - Stigmella plagicolella – 29 records available

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

TaxonSite NameTetradYearDateCountStageSource
Stigmella plagicolellaDWT Wyver LaneSK34P202502/09/20255mine (empty)vc57_irecords_extract
Stigmella plagicolellaDWT Wyver LaneSK34P202509/09/20252mine (empty)vc57_irecords_extract
Stigmella plagicolellaDWT Wyver LaneSK34P202506/08/20253mine (empty)vc57_irecords_extract
Stigmella plagicolellaDWT Wyver LaneSK34P202513/08/20256mine (empty)vc57_irecords_extract
Stigmella plagicolellaDWT Wyver LaneSK34P202520/08/202512mine (empty)vc57_irecords_extract
Stigmella plagicolellaBurton upon TrentSK32P202405/11/20241Minevc57_irecords_extract
Stigmella plagicolellaPottery WoodSK32G202405/11/20241Minevc57_irecords_extract
Stigmella plagicolellaMonsall HeadSK17V202414/10/20241minevc57_irecords_extract
Stigmella plagicolellaDWT Wyver LaneSK34P202430/10/20241mine (empty)vc57_irecords_extract
Stigmella plagicolellaRiver Derwent, DerbySK33S202421/09/20242minevc57_irecords_extract
Stigmella plagicolellaRiver Derwent, DerbySK33S202421/09/20241minevc57_irecords_extract
Stigmella plagicolellaPleasley Pit Country ParkSK46X202426/08/20241mine (empty)vc57_irecords_extract
Stigmella plagicolellaLower Gamesley VCSK09C202431/08/20241minevc57_irecords_extract
Stigmella plagicolellaPoppy WoodSK32S202322/11/20231Minevc57_irecords_extract
Stigmella plagicolellaCarver's RocksSK32G202330/09/20231Minevc57_irecords_extract
Stigmella plagicolellaCarver's RocksSK32G202330/09/20231Minevc57_irecords_extract
Stigmella plagicolellaCarver's RocksSK32H202321/09/20231Minevc57_irecords_extract
Stigmella plagicolellaAllestree ParkSK34K202225/09/20221Minevc57_irecords_extract
Stigmella plagicolellaGrange WoodSK21S201813/09/20181Minevc57_irecords_extract
Stigmella plagicolellaThorpe, DovedaleSK15K201013/10/20101Larval Minevc57_danes_bc_data
Stigmella plagicolellaBamfordSK28B201021/09/20101Larval Minevc57_danes_bc_data
Stigmella plagicolellaAshford in the WaterSK16Z201022/09/20101Larval Minevc57_danes_bc_data
Stigmella plagicolellaRose End MeadowSK25Y200916/10/20091minevc57_irecords_extract
Stigmella plagicolellaCromford, Matlock DE, UKSK25Y200916/10/20091Larvavc57_irecords_extract
Stigmella plagicolellaHopeSK18R200907/10/20091Larval Minevc57_danes_bc_data
Stigmella plagicolellaCoombs Dale,Stoney MiddletonSK27H200912/10/20091Larval Minevc57_danes_bc_data
Stigmella plagicolellaStoney MiddletonSK27H200912/10/20091Larval Minevc57_danes_bc_data
Stigmella plagicolellaCoombs Dale,Stoney MiddletonSK27H200912/10/20091Larval Minevc57_danes_bc_data
Stigmella plagicolellaCromfordSK25Y200916/10/20091Larval Minevc57_danes_bc_data

Stigmella sorbi       Stigmella lemniscella

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