Leaf-miner: CAT A – Recorded accepted without the leaf or a photo – Larval Case: C4 – As C3 but also a Gen.Det. required – 
– 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: Coleophora flavipennella (Yellow Oak Case-bearer)
ID pointers: The moth has a wingspan of 10-12 mm with pale yellow-ochreous forewings and grey hindwings. Adults are virtually impossible to distinguish from the closely related C. flavipennella without dissection and microscopic examination of the genitalia.
Distribution: (Last record: 24 December 2025 at Markham Vale North Tip ) – Uncertain; 1947-56 – 1 record Holymoorside 1971 (DaNES) 1 -record 2004 to MV light & 2 records from 2009 adults and 1 2013 to MV all from Swadlincote (DaNES) – 1 record of adult Gen Det Hathersage 16/7/2021
An aggregated record from Cromford Moor 5/6/2014 of a larval case (iRecord) – larval cases found on Oak at Markham Vale 24/12/2025
General Comment: None Mine Period Additional: Over winters in larval case
Mine ID Difficulty:
– Care required in ID process as confusion with similar leaf mines. Quality photos of the mine required. Mine Type/s: Not Recorded
Mine Feeding Method/s: Case
Mine Comment: During the autumn the larvae live in a characteristic pear-shaped silken case. A key distinction from C. flavipennella is that C. lutipennella make their case entirely from Silk. The Larvae mine leaves from late September to October before overwintering. They typically overwinter by fixing their case in the axil of an oak bud. They resume feeding, creating a new case from April – May, often moving to oak catkins.
*** Last updated on 14 January 2026 by TD ***
Last Recorded Year: 2025
Last Recorded By – Mark Radford – larval cases
Last Recorded General Area – Markham Vale North Tip
Selected Images:
Hathersage 2021 – The late Claire Miles© / Markham Vale 24/12/2025 – Mark Radford©
Image Gallery
No gallery images found for this moth.
Distribution Map for Coleophora lutipennella
Found 8 records
↳ from 2026+
↳ 3 from 2020 - 2025
↳ 5 from Before 2020
↳ from 2026+
↳ 3 from 2020 - 2025
↳ 5 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 – Coleophora lutipennella
⚠️ 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:
Coleophora lutipennella
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )
Monthly Counts By Year: Coleophora lutipennella
( data is based on 'Adult' stage records only. )
First/Last Recorded Dates: Coleophora lutipennella
Adult-only & Anything [Larvae, Pupae, Adult, Mines]
Shading shows moth presence between dates
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Recordings By Year: Coleophora lutipennella
( All data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )
Annual Growth Rate (AGR): Coleophora lutipennella
AGR: 0% | Total % Change: 0%
Hectad (10kmx10km) Coverage: Coleophora lutipennella
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )
Flight Periods – Indicative –vs– Recorded Data
Coleophora lutipennella
Coleophora lutipennella
( 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 2020-2026.
Mine Periods – Indicative –vs– Recorded Data
Coleophora lutipennella
Coleophora lutipennella
( 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 - Coleophora lutipennella – 8 records available
Listed by Year - descending - scroll across to see all table columns
| Site Name | Tetrad | Date | Count | Stage | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Markham Vale South Tip | SK47K | 29/12/2025 | 1 | case | vc57_irecords_extract |
| Markham Vale North Tip | SK47L | 24/12/2025 | 50 | larval case | vc57_irecords_extract |
| Hathersage, Derbyshire, UK | SK28F | 16/07/2021 | 1 | adult | vc57_irecords_extract |
| Wood Lane,Newhall,Swadlincote | SK22V | 16/07/2013 | 1 | Adult | vc57_danes_bc_data |
| Wood Lane,Newhall,Swadlincote | SK22V | 10/07/2009 | 2 | Adult | vc57_danes_bc_data |
| Wood Lane,Newhall,Swadlincote | SK22V | 03/07/2009 | 1 | Adult | vc57_danes_bc_data |
| Wood Lane,Newhall,Swadlincote | SK22V | 24/07/2004 | 1 | Adult | vc57_danes_bc_data |
| Stonedge, nr Holymoorside (site not precise) | SK36N | 23/10/1971 | 1 | Case | vc57_danes_bc_data |