15.079 BF357  –  Gracillariidae –  Lithocolletinae – Phyllonorycter stettinensis – Lesser Alder Leaf-miner – (Nicelli, 1852) Adult Micro:  CAT 2 – Confusion Species –       Leaf-miner:  CAT L – The leaf or a Photo required – reared and possibly dissected       Larval Case:  C1 – Distinctive Species –       PDF Icon – click for General Verification Guidelines  |   PDF Icon – click for Specific Verification Guidelines
Blue –  Generally Common / Widespread        purple – Leaf Miner
Taxonomy:   Micro   >>  Gracillariidae  >> Lithocolletinae
Other Name/s: Small Alder Midget
ID Difficulty:  amber  – care required in the identification process, as confusion with similar species is likely – quality photographs required.
Confusion Species:  Phyllonorycter tristrigella (Elm Leaf-miner); Phyllonorycter froelichiella (Large Alder Leaf-miner)
ID pointers: A dark species in comparison to other Phyllonorycters and quite attractive with contrasting creamy bands and a black tufted head.
Distribution:  All records refer to Leaf Mines – When found they seem to be quite numerous so would indicate the species is relatively common and stable.
General Comment: None
Flight Period: May /  August –  Two generations in May and August Mine Period:  July /  October
Mine Period Additional: A small “Blister” type mine on the upper leaf surface of Alder. Changes colour from green to orange-brown when the mine is more mature
Mine ID Difficulty: Not Recorded
Mine Type/s: Not Recorded
Mine Feeding Method/s: Not Recorded
Mine Comment: None.
Moth Activity: Cathemeral   – but can be disturbed during the day Photographed: Yes –  Photographed By: Tony Davison  © All Rights Reserved
*** Last updated on 6 November 2025 by RP ***
Wingspan: 6-7.5mm
Food Plant: Alder
Recorded dates for Common [Blue code Blue-coded] moths are not stored on the website at this current time.

Selected Images:  

Staunton Harold Res 28/10/2025 – Tony Davison©



Distribution Map for Phyllonorycter stettinensis

Found 12 records
    ↳ 2 from After 2025
    ↳ 1 from 2020 - 2024
    ↳ 9 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 stettinensis

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

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


First/Last Recorded Dates: Phyllonorycter stettinensis
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 stettinensis
( All data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )
Annual Growth Rate (AGR): Phyllonorycter stettinensis
AGR: 0%   |   Total % Change: 0%


CUSUM Analysis: Phyllonorycter stettinensis
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 20 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 2023, 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 stettinensis
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )

Flight Periods – Indicative –vs– Recorded Data
Phyllonorycter stettinensis
( 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 stettinensis
( 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 stettinensis – 12 records available

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

Site NameTetradDateCountStageSource
Markham Vale North TipSK47L22/10/20251minevc57_irecords_extract
Alvaston ParkSK33S20/09/20251minevc57_irecords_extract
Calke ParkSK32R01/10/20231Minevc57_irecords_extract
Calver and River DerwentSK27M05/08/20181pre-adultvc57_irecords_extract
LinacreSK37L13/10/20091Larval Minevc57_danes_bc_data
NorburySK14G01/10/20091Larval Minevc57_danes_bc_data
Carr Vale NR,BolsoverSK46P13/09/20061Larval Minevc57_danes_bc_data
Clattercotes Wood, nr Ogston ResrSK36K12/07/20061Larval Minevc57_danes_bc_data
Hillclifflane, nr IdridgehaySK24Y02/11/20021Larval Minevc57_danes_bc_data
Abbotsholme School, RocesterSK13E04/10/20011Larval Minevc57_danes_bc_data
Rowsley Sidings, Rowsley (site not precise)SK26S12/11/19831Larval Minevc57_danes_bc_data
Willington area (spinney), DerbySK22Z02/04/19051Adultvc57_danes_bc_data

Scroll to Top