38.003 BF592  –  Elachistidae – Stephensia brunnichella – Basil Blotch-miner – (Linnaeus, 1767) Adult Micro:  CAT 3 – Very Rare/Scarce/Migrant/Adventive – confusion with leaf mines       Leaf-miner:  CAT L – The leaf or a Photo required – reared and possibly dissected       PDF Icon – click for General Verification Guidelines  |   PDF Icon – click for Specific Verification Guidelines
Black – Uncertain/Unknown – Insufficient Data        purple – Leaf Miner
Taxonomy:   Micro   >>  Elachistidae
** Photograph required **
Other Name/s: Basil Dwarf
ID Difficulty:  Red – difficult to identify – detailed examination required, often a Gen Det and/or specimen and quality photographs are required.
ID pointers: There are several features which help to distinguish this moth from other Elachista species.The antennae has a white band at three quarters up its length.The forewing has an alternating pattern of rich black-browns and bright silvery-white to “brassy” hues. Upon each forewing is a pale metallic spot at the tip of the leading edge, and a silvery triangular marking near the bottom corner. Trimming the bottom edge of the forewings is a fringe of black-brown cilia. The hind-wings are dark grey finely and sparingly sprinkled, with tiny glistening scales.
Distribution:  Nationally Scarce B – Uncertain – 2 records – Ticknall 1928 & Clay Cross 1965 – no modern day records
Flight Period: May /  June /  August /  September /  –  Two generations May-June & Aug-Sept Mine Period: January /  February /  March /  April /  May /  July /  August /  September /  October /  November /  December /   – Sept=May & July-August – A narrow gallery mine leading to a full blotch that may cover the whole leaf. Moth Activity: Cathemeral  Photographed: No –  Photographed By: Not Recorded
*** Last updated on 6 May 2025 by RP ***
Wingspan: 8-9mm
Food Plant: Wild basil
Last Recorded By – Not Recorded
Last Recorded General Area – Not Recorded

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Distribution Map for Stephensia brunnichella

No records found

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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.

Land-cover * shows the variety of land-cover within the VC57 area, based on the CORINE (Coordination of Information on the Environment) forty-four thematic classes of land-cover. This will show, to a greater or lesser degree, the number and variety of moths found in different land-cover types. The UK continues to operate within the Copernicus programme, with the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH) providing Corine Land Cover (CLC) datasets for the UK and its territories.


NBN Atlas UK Distribution for – Stephensia brunnichella

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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.

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Monthly Records By Year: Stephensia brunnichella
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )
No data returned from the database.

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


First/Last Recorded Dates: Stephensia brunnichella
Adult-only & Anything [Larvae, Pupae, Adult, Mines]

Shading shows moth presence between dates

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Recordings By Year: Stephensia brunnichella
( All data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )
Annual Growth Rate (AGR): Stephensia brunnichella
AGR: 0%   |   Total % Change: 0%
Stephensia brunnichella
Insufficient records/data for an AGR analysis
Years Analysed: 2000 – 2025
Stephensia brunnichella
Insufficient records/data for a CUSUM analysis
Years Analysed: 2000 – 2025

Hectad (10kmx10km) Coverage: Stephensia brunnichella
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )

Flight Periods – Indicative –vs– Recorded Data
Stephensia brunnichella
( 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
Stephensia brunnichella
( 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 - Stephensia brunnichella – 0 records available

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

No records found for Stephensia brunnichella.

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