4.042 BF67 – Blue-shot Dot – Stigmella plagicolella – (Stainton, 1854)
Adult Micro: CAT 4 – Dissection required – 
Leaf-miner: CAT L – The leaf or a Photo required – 
Larval Case: C1 – Distinctive Species –
– click for General Verification Guidelines | – click for Specific Verification Guidelines
Leaf-miner: CAT L – The leaf or a Photo required – Larval Case: C1 – Distinctive Species – – click for General Verification Guidelines | – click for Specific Verification Guidelines 
– Uncertain/Unknown – Insufficient Data 
– Leaf-miner
– 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: 23 September 2025 at Sunnyhill Park, Derby ) – 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
Glossop 28/8/2025
General Comment: Notes by Christian Heintzen on image dated 28/8/2025 – on Sloe (Prunus spinosa) (A,B) > first a slender undulating gallery abruptly widening into a blotch > initial frass broad and linear (B.1) leaving a narrow clear margin (a) heaped frass in blotch (b) > larvae in tenanted mines yellow-green with pale brown head (c)
Mine Period Additional: Larvae are found in July and again in September/October.
Mine ID Difficulty:
– Easy to identify, generally the leaf mine is distinctive and unlikely to be confused with other species. Mine Type/s: Gallery, Blotch
Mine Feeding Method/s: Not Recorded
Mine Comment: The larvae create a distinctive mine in the leaf that starts as a narrow, winding gallery with a central line of frass. This gallery then abruptly widens into a roundish or “tadpole” shaped blotch.
*** Last updated on 12 December 2025 by TD ***
Last Recorded Year: 2025
Last Recorded By – Andrew-John Shervill
Last Recorded General Area – Sunnyhill Park, Derby
Selected Images:
Wyver Lane – Dave Evans©; Monsal Head – Martin Harvey©; Rose End Meadows – Steve Orridge©/ Sunnyhill Park 2025 – Andrew-John Shervill© / Glossop 28/8/2025 – Christian Heintzen©
Image Gallery
Temporal Distribution Chart
Immatures: (between 2009 - 2025)
(click legend below to show/hide datasets)
Distribution Map for Stigmella plagicolella
Found 34 records
↳ from 2026+
↳ 23 from 2020 - 2025
↳ 11 from Before 2020
↳ from 2026+
↳ 23 from 2020 - 2025
↳ 11 from Before 2020
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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 – Stigmella plagicolella
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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.
Monthly Records By Year:
Stigmella plagicolella
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )
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
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Recordings By Year: Stigmella plagicolella
( All data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )
Annual Growth Rate (AGR): Stigmella plagicolella
AGR: 23.5% | Total % Change: 2830%
Hectad (10kmx10km) Coverage: Stigmella plagicolella
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )
Flight Periods – Indicative –vs– Recorded Data
Stigmella plagicolella
Stigmella plagicolella
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.
Mine Periods – Indicative –vs– Recorded Data
Stigmella plagicolella
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 2020-2026.
Records Behind the Map and Charts - Stigmella plagicolella – 34 records available
Listed by Year - descending - scroll across to see all table columns
| Site Name | Tetrad | Date | Count | Stage | Recorder | Source | RecordKey |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Swarkestone | SK32P | 11/10/2025 | 250 | mine | Shervill, Andrew | vc57_irecords_extract | iBRC45891618 |
| Markham Vale South Tip | SK47K | 01/10/2025 | 1 | mine | Radford, Mark | vc57_irecords_extract | iBRC45728015 |
| Sunnyhill Park, Derby | SK33L | 23/09/2025 | 10 | mine | Shervill, Andrew | vc57_irecords_extract | iBRC45506984 |
| DWT Wyver Lane | SK34P | 09/09/2025 | 2 | mine (empty) | Evans, Dave | vc57_irecords_extract | iBRC45208275 |
| DWT Wyver Lane | SK34P | 02/09/2025 | 5 | mine (empty) | Evans, Dave | vc57_irecords_extract | iBRC45019573 |
| Gleadless Valley LNR - land near Newfield School | SK38L | 29/08/2025 | 1 | mine | Mella, Pete | vc57_irecords_extract | iBRC48913205 |
| Glossop, Gnat Hole | SK09L | 28/08/2025 | 3 | Leaf-mine | Heintzen, Christian | vc57_irecords_extract | iBRC47521339 |
| DWT Wyver Lane | SK34P | 20/08/2025 | 12 | mine (empty) | Evans, Dave | vc57_irecords_extract | iBRC44638477 |
| DWT Wyver Lane | SK34P | 13/08/2025 | 6 | mine (empty) | Evans, Dave | vc57_irecords_extract | iBRC44440550 |
| DWT Wyver Lane | SK34P | 06/08/2025 | 3 | mine (empty) | Evans, Dave | vc57_irecords_extract | iBRC44213466 |
| Pottery Wood | SK32G | 05/11/2024 | 1 | Mine | Finch, Graham Leonard | vc57_irecords_extract | iBRC41038947 |
| Burton upon Trent | SK32P | 05/11/2024 | 1 | Mine | Finch, Graham Leonard | vc57_irecords_extract | iBRC41038900 |
| DWT Wyver Lane | SK34P | 30/10/2024 | 1 | mine (empty) | Evans, Dave | vc57_irecords_extract | iBRC39056473 |
| Monsall Head | SK17V | 14/10/2024 | 1 | mine | Harvey, Martin C. | vc57_irecords_extract | iBRC38894096 |
| River Derwent, Derby | SK33S | 21/09/2024 | 2 | mine | Neil Gregory | vc57_irecords_extract | iBRC38567737 |
| River Derwent, Derby | SK33S | 21/09/2024 | 1 | mine | Neil Gregory | vc57_irecords_extract | iBRC38567740 |
| Lower Gamesley VC | SK09C | 31/08/2024 | 1 | mine | Hind, Steve | vc57_irecords_extract | iBRC38243518 |
| Pleasley Pit Country Park | SK46X | 26/08/2024 | 1 | mine (empty) | Beeley, Graham | vc57_irecords_extract | iBRC38120745 |
| Poppy Wood | SK32S | 22/11/2023 | 1 | Mine | Finch, Graham Leonard | vc57_irecords_extract | iBRC35107048 |
| Carver's Rocks | SK32G | 30/09/2023 | 1 | Mine | Finch, Graham Leonard | vc57_irecords_extract | iBRC35106069 |
| Carver's Rocks | SK32G | 30/09/2023 | 1 | Mine | Finch, Graham Leonard | vc57_irecords_extract | iBRC35106070 |
| Carver's Rocks | SK32H | 21/09/2023 | 1 | Mine | Finch, Graham Leonard | vc57_irecords_extract | iBRC35106103 |
| Allestree Park | SK34K | 25/09/2022 | 1 | Mine | Finch, Graham Leonard | vc57_irecords_extract | iBRC35105360 |
| Grange Wood | SK21S | 13/09/2018 | 1 | Mine | Finch, Graham Leonard | vc57_irecords_extract | iBRC35106424 |
| Thorpe, Dovedale | SK15K | 13/10/2010 | 1 | Larval Mine | S.A. Orridge;S.H. Hind | vc57_danes_bc_data | LC000334001COTQY |
| Ashford in the Water | SK16Z | 22/09/2010 | 1 | Larval Mine | S.A. Orridge;S.H. Hind | vc57_danes_bc_data | LC000334001CP6P5 |
| Bamford | SK28B | 21/09/2010 | 1 | Larval Mine | K. McCabe;S.H. Hind | vc57_danes_bc_data | LC000334001COTQB |
| Rose End Meadow | SK25Y | 16/10/2009 | 1 | mine | Orridge, Steve; Hind, Steve, Budworth, Dave | vc57_irecords_extract | iBRC40312701 |
| Cromford, Matlock DE, UK | SK25Y | 16/10/2009 | 1 | Larva | Orridge, Steve | vc57_irecords_extract | iBRC44257392 |
| Cromford | SK25Y | 16/10/2009 | 1 | Larval Mine | Dave Budworth;S.A. Orridge;S.H. Hind | vc57_danes_bc_data | LC000334001CP55U |
| Coombs Dale,Stoney Middleton | SK27H | 12/10/2009 | 1 | Larval Mine | S.H. Hind | vc57_danes_bc_data | LC000334001COWZ9 |
| Stoney Middleton | SK27H | 12/10/2009 | 1 | Larval Mine | S.H. Hind | vc57_danes_bc_data | LC000334001COWZP |
| Coombs Dale,Stoney Middleton | SK27H | 12/10/2009 | 1 | Larval Mine | S.H. Hind | vc57_danes_bc_data | LC000334001CP54A |
| Hope | SK18R | 07/10/2009 | 1 | Larval Mine | S.H. Hind | vc57_danes_bc_data | LC000334001COSZX |