35.147 BF767  –  Gelechiidae –  Gelechiinae – Carpatolechia decorella – Black-shouldered Grey – (Haworth, 1812) Adult Micro:  CAT 3 – Very rare or scarce species (includes very scarce adventives/immigrants) – confusion with leaf mines       Leaf-miner:  CAT A – Recorded accepted without the leaf or a photo –       Larval Case:  C1 – Distinctive Species –       PDF Icon – click for General Verification Guidelines  |   PDF Icon – click for Specific Verification Guidelines
Brown –  Significant Record / Very Rare / Vagrant    
Taxonomy:   Micro   >>  Gelechiidae  >> Gelechiinae
** Identification write up and photograph required **
Other Name/s: Winter Oak Groundling; Teleiodes decorella
ID Difficulty:  amber  – care required in the identification process, as confusion with similar species is likely – quality photographs required.
Confusion Species:  Carpatolechia alburnella (Birch Grey)
ID pointers: An incredibly variable species with many forms lacking the stronger, attractive black and white markings and just having a combination of dark greyish to black scales with scattered white speckling. The moth has a characteristic short black longitudinal bar on the wing edge at base of forewing.
Distribution:  (First record: 9 March 2004 at Foremark Reservoir )  –  (Last record: 16 December 2025 at Froggatt )  –  Significant record – Three accepted records, two from DaNES – Foremark Res 2004 & Melbourne 2005 and one from Froggatt 16th Dec 2025
General Comment: The third record from Froggat was first seen flying across the recorders garden in daylight. Fortuitously the recorder was able to take some photos with his mobile phone when it landed on a window. The ID has been confirmed by Stephen Palmer.
Flight Period: January /  February /  March /  April /  July /  August /  September /  October /  November /  December –  Overwinters as an adult. Moth Activity: Cathemeral   – occasionally attracted to light Photographed: Yes –  Photographed By: Bryan Barnacle  © All Rights Reserved
*** Last updated on 17 December 2025 by TD ***
Wingspan: 13-14mm
Food Plant: Oak and dogwood
Last Recorded Year: 2025
First Recorded Year: 2004
Last Recorded By – Bryan Barnacle
Last Recorded General Area – Froggatt

Selected Images:  

Froggatt 16/12/2025 (3rd VC57 record) Bryan Barnacle©



Distribution Map for Carpatolechia decorella

Found 3 records
    ↳ from 2026+
    ↳ 1 from 2020 - 2025
    ↳ 2 from Before 2020
Flying
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

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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 – Carpatolechia decorella

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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: Carpatolechia decorella
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )

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


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

Shading shows moth presence between dates

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Recordings By Year: Carpatolechia decorella
( All data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )
Annual Growth Rate (AGR): Carpatolechia decorella
AGR: 0%   |   Total % Change: 0%

Hectad (10kmx10km) Coverage: Carpatolechia decorella
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )

Flight Periods – Indicative –vs– Recorded Data
Carpatolechia decorella
( 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.

Records Behind the Map and Charts - Carpatolechia decorella – 3 records available

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

Site NameTetradDateCountStageSource
Froggatt, Hope ValleySK27N16/12/20251adultvc57_irecords_extract
Spinney Hill,MelbourneSK32X30/07/20051Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Foremark Resr, TicknallSK32H03/09/20041Adultvc57_danes_bc_data

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