15.039 BF320  –  Gracillariidae –  Lithocolletinae – Phyllonorycter quercifoliella – Common Oak Leaf-miner – (Zeller, 1839) Adult Micro:  CAT 2 – Confusion Species –       Leaf-miner:  CAT R – Moth will need to be reared and possibly dissected – reared and possibly dissected       Larval Case:  C1 – Distinctive Species –       PDF Icon – click for General Verification Guidelines  |   PDF Icon – click for Specific Verification Guidelines
Green –  Rare / Uncommon / Scarce        purple – Leaf Miner
Taxonomy:   Micro   >>  Gracillariidae  >> Lithocolletinae
Other Name/s: Common Oak Midget
ID Difficulty:  amber  – care required in the identification process, as confusion with similar species is likely – quality photographs required.
Confusion Species:  P.messaniella and P.platani
ID pointers: The basal wing streak extends along about two thirds of the wing, whereas in P.messaniella, just about reaches half way. A delicately marked little moth
The ‘cremaster’ with its two hooks is diagnostic for P. quercifoliella
Distribution:  (Last record: 4 February 2025 at Gnat Hole, Glossop )  –  Probably the commonest of the oak feeding Phyllonorycter species. Should be widespread across the recording area where the food plant exists but records are few with only 8 records since 2020-2025
General Comment: None
Flight Period: April /  May /  August /  September –  Two generations Mine Period:  July /  September /  October
Mine Period Additional: A small blotch on the underside of oak leaves
Mine ID Difficulty: Not Recorded
Mine Type/s: Not Recorded
Mine Feeding Method/s: Not Recorded
Mine Comment: None.
Moth Activity: Cathemeral   – and is attracted to light Photographed: Yes –  Photographed By: Christian Heintzen, Steve Hind / Nikki Mahadevan  © All Rights Reserved
*** Last updated on 5 November 2025 by TD ***
Wingspan: 7-9mm
Food Plant: Oak (Quercus)
Last Recorded Year: 2025
Last Recorded By – Christian Heintzen
Last Recorded General Area – Gnat Hole, Glossop

Selected Images:  

Gnat Hole 4/2/2025; 27/9/2024 – Christian Heintzen© / Lower Gamesley 31/8/2024 – Steve Hind© / Shirland 16/6/2021 – Nikki Mahadevan©



Distribution Map for Phyllonorycter quercifoliella

Found 21 records
    ↳ 3 from After 2025
    ↳ 5 from 2020 - 2024
    ↳ 13 from Before 2020
Flying
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Mining
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 – Phyllonorycter quercifoliella

⚠️ 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: Phyllonorycter quercifoliella
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )

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


First/Last Recorded Dates: Phyllonorycter quercifoliella
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 quercifoliella
( All data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )
Annual Growth Rate (AGR): Phyllonorycter quercifoliella
AGR: 5.36%   |   Total % Change: 250%


CUSUM Analysis: Phyllonorycter quercifoliella
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 9 (September) 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 quercifoliella
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )

Flight Periods – Indicative –vs– Recorded Data
Phyllonorycter quercifoliella
( 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 quercifoliella
( 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 quercifoliella – 21 records available

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

Site NameTetradDateCountStageSource
DWT Wyver LaneSK34P02/09/20256mine (empty)vc57_irecords_extract
Graves ParkSK38L15/08/20251minevc57_irecords_extract
Glossop, Gnat HoleSK09L31/01/20251pupavc57_irecords_extract
King's NewtonSK32Y28/10/20241minevc57_irecords_extract
Glossop, Gnat HoleSK09G27/09/20241Leaf-minevc57_irecords_extract
Lower Gamesley VCSK09C31/08/20241mine (empty)vc57_irecords_extract
Shirland - Hallfieldgate LaneSK35Z16/06/20212adultvc57_irecords_extract
Blacka Moor and PlantationSK28V11/07/202010pre-adultvc57_irecords_extract
Millstone EdgeSK28K26/09/201710not recordedvc57_irecords_extract
Big Moor and Barbrook ReservoirSK27T15/08/20172pre-adultvc57_irecords_extract
BamfordSK28B21/09/20101Larval Minevc57_danes_bc_data
Ladybower ResrSK18U03/09/20101Larval Minevc57_danes_bc_data
Howden ResrSK19L25/08/20101Larval Minevc57_danes_bc_data
Upper Wood, Howden ResrSK19R25/08/20101Larval Minevc57_danes_bc_data
Padley Gorge, Nether PadleySK27P19/08/20101Larval Minevc57_danes_bc_data
LinacreSK37L13/10/20091Larval Minevc57_danes_bc_data
Stoney MiddletonSK27H12/10/20091Larval Minevc57_danes_bc_data
HopeSK18R07/10/20091Larval Minevc57_danes_bc_data
Carr Vale NR,BolsoverSK47K13/09/20061Larval Minevc57_danes_bc_data
Clattercotes Wood, nr Ogston ResrSK36Q12/07/20061Larval Minevc57_danes_bc_data
Brackley Gate, nr CoxbenchSK34W03/11/20011Larval Minevc57_danes_bc_data

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