15.004 BF282 – Alder Stilt – Caloptilia elongella – (Linnaeus, 1761)
Adult Micro: CAT 4 – Dissection required – 
Leaf-miner: CAT L – The leaf or a Photo required – 
– click for General Verification Guidelines | – click for Specific Verification Guidelines
Leaf-miner: CAT L – The leaf or a Photo required – – click for General Verification Guidelines | – click for Specific Verification Guidelines 
– Rare / Uncommon / Scarce 
– Leaf-miner
– difficult to identify – detailed examination required, often a Gen Det and/or specimen and quality photographs are required.Confusion Species: Caloptilia betulicola (Birch Stilt); Caloptilia semifascia (Maple Stilt); Caloptilia hemidactylella (Scarce Maple Stilt)
ID pointers: Like other Caloptilia species it has a distinctive resting posture. Often a plain orange-brown colour to the elongated forewing, sometimes with speckling in the basal half and a pale costal blotch. Plain cilia
Distribution: (Last record: 10 January 2023 at Midway ) – Despite this species being common across Britain, it appears to be an uncommon species in the recording area, with only a handful of records between 2016 -2024; possibly under-recorded
due to Gen Det requirements
General Comment: None Mine Period Additional: Larvae feed by mining the leaves of Alder at first then into a folded or rolled leaf
Mine ID Difficulty: Not Recorded
Mine Type/s: Not Recorded
Mine Feeding Method/s: Not Recorded
Mine Comment: None.
*** Last updated on 2 October 2025 by RP ***
Last Recorded Year: 2023
Last Recorded By – Graham Finch – leaf mine
Last Recorded General Area – Midway
Selected Images:
Hathersage – March 2021 – The late Claire Miles©
Image Gallery
No gallery images found for this moth.
Temporal Distribution Chart
Adults: (between 2004 - 2021) | Immatures: (between 1971 - 2023)
(click legend below to show/hide datasets)
Distribution Map for Caloptilia elongella
Found 17 records
↳ from 2026+
↳ 4 from 2020 - 2025
↳ 13 from Before 2020
↳ from 2026+
↳ 4 from 2020 - 2025
↳ 13 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.
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 – Caloptilia elongella
⚠️ 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.
Monthly Records By Year:
Caloptilia elongella
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )
Monthly Counts By Year:
Caloptilia elongella
( data is based on 'Adult' stage records only )
First/Last Recorded Dates: Caloptilia elongella
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: Caloptilia elongella
( All data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )
Annual Growth Rate (AGR): Caloptilia elongella
AGR: 0% | Total % Change: 0%
Hectad (10kmx10km) Coverage: Caloptilia elongella
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )
Flight Periods – Indicative –vs– Recorded Data
Caloptilia elongella
Caloptilia elongella
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
Caloptilia elongella
Caloptilia elongella
( 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 - Caloptilia elongella – 17 records available
Listed by Year - descending - scroll across to see all table columns
| Site Name | Tetrad | Date | Count | Stage | Recorder | Source | RecordKey |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Calke Park | SK32R | 01/10/2023 | 1 | Mine | Finch, Graham Leonard | vc57_irecords_extract | iBRC35105534 |
| Carver's Rocks | SK32G | 30/09/2023 | 1 | Mine | Finch, Graham Leonard | vc57_irecords_extract | iBRC35106079 |
| Hathersage, Derbyshire, UK | SK28F | 30/03/2021 | 1 | adult | Miles, Claire | vc57_irecords_extract | iBRC29295306 |
| Main Street, Kings Newton | SK32Y | 12/07/2020 | 1 | Adult | Soar, Will | vc57_irecords_extract | iBRC34059807 |
| Blacka Moor and Plantation | SK28V | 22/07/2017 | 1 | Larva | Watchorn, Andrew | vc57_irecords_extract | iBRC5482611 |
| Calver and River Derwent | SK27M | 23/09/2016 | 1 | Larva | Watchorn, Andrew | vc57_irecords_extract | iBRC5414721 |
| Midway Rd,Midway,Swadlincote | SK32A | 03/08/2013 | 2 | Adult | M.J. Williams | vc57_danes_bc_data | LC000334001CP98Y |
| Wood Lane,Newhall,Swadlincote | SK22V | 17/08/2012 | 1 | Adult | Dave Budworth | vc57_danes_bc_data | LC000334001CP8IH |
| Ladybower Resr | SK18U | 03/09/2010 | 1 | Larval Mine | S.H. Hind | vc57_danes_bc_data | LC000334001CP6KO |
| Hardhurst Rd, Alvaston, Derby | SK33W | 06/04/2010 | 3 | Adult | I. Gardler | vc57_danes_bc_data | LC000334001CP572 |
| Coombs Dale,Stoney Middleton | SK27H | 12/10/2009 | 1 | Larval Mine | S.H. Hind | vc57_danes_bc_data | LC000334001CP54E |
| Norbury | SK14G | 01/10/2009 | 1 | Larval Mine | Dave Budworth;S.A. Orridge;S.H. Hind | vc57_danes_bc_data | LC000334001CP533 |
| Shallcross Wood, Goyt Valley, Whaley Bridge | SK07E | 26/09/2006 | 1 | Larval Mine | S.H. Hind | vc57_danes_bc_data | LC000334001CP9Y3 |
| Carr Vale NR,Bolsover | SK47K | 13/09/2006 | 1 | Larval Mine | S.H. Hind | vc57_danes_bc_data | LC000334001CP3MS |
| Midway Rd,Midway,Swadlincote | SK32A | 01/07/2006 | 1 | Adult | M.J. Williams | vc57_danes_bc_data | LC000334001CP346 |
| Main St,Kings Newton,Melbourne | SK32Y | 24/07/2004 | 1 | Adult | Soar, Will | vc57_danes_bc_data | LC000334001CP24N |
| Whitesprings, Hall Dale, Darley Dale (site not precise) | SK26X | 06/11/1971 | 1 | Pupae | VC57 Derbyshire Recorder | vc57_danes_bc_data | LC000334001CP9UJ |