20.004 BF405  –  Argyresthiidae – Argyresthia arceuthina – White-headed Tip Moth – Zeller, 1839 Adult Micro:  CAT 2 – Can be confused with other species –       Leaf-miner:  CAT A – Recorded accepted without the leaf or a photo –       PDF Icon – click for General Verification Guidelines  |   PDF Icon – click for Specific Verification Guidelines
Brown –  Significant Record / Very Rare / Vagrant         purple – Leaf Miner     day-flying – Day-flying
Taxonomy:   Micro   >>  Argyresthiidae
Other Name/s: Bronze Argent
ID Difficulty:  amber  – care required in the identification process, as confusion with similar species is likely – quality photographs required.
Confusion Species:  Argyresthia laevigatella (Larch Tip Moth); Argyresthia glabratella (Spruce Tip Moth) Argyresthia praecocella
(Juniper Berry Moth)
ID pointers: One of the earliest of the group to be on the wing and despite looking quite plain in appearance, the distinct whitish head and thorax, contrasting with the shining golden colour of the forewing make this species fairly distinctive.
Distribution:  (First record: 30 June 2025 at Darwin Forest, Matlock )  –  (Last record: 30 June 2025 at Darwin Forest, Matlock )  –  A Nationally Scarce B , which is now scarcely found over a wide area of the British Isles where the food plant can be found. A new species to VC57 Derbyshire when one was trapped and recorded on 30th June 2025 at Darwin Forest, Matlock.
General Comment: None
Flight Period: April /  May /  June –  Earliest of the group to be on the wing, flying in April – June sometimes during the day and comes to light Mine Period: Not Recorded
Mine Period Additional: None.
Mine ID Difficulty: Not Recorded
Mine Type/s: Not Recorded
Mine Feeding Method/s: Not Recorded
Mine Comment: None.
Moth Activity: Cathemeral   – and is attracted to light Photographed: Yes –  Photographed By: Dave Evans  © All Rights Reserved
*** Last updated on 2 October 2025 by RP ***
Wingspan: 8-9mm
Food Plant: Juniper
Last Recorded Year: 2025
First Recorded Year: 2025
Last Recorded By – Dave Evans
Last Recorded General Area – Darwin Forest, Matlock

Selected Images:  

Darwin Forest 30/6/2025 – Dave Evans



Distribution Map for Argyresthia arceuthina

Found 1 records
    ↳ from 2026+
    ↳ 1 from 2020 - 2025
    ↳ 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

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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 – Argyresthia arceuthina

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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: Argyresthia arceuthina
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )

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


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

Shading shows moth presence between dates

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

Hectad (10kmx10km) Coverage: Argyresthia arceuthina
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )

Flight Periods – Indicative –vs– Recorded Data
Argyresthia arceuthina
( 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
Argyresthia arceuthina
( 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 - Argyresthia arceuthina – 1 records available

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

Site NameTetradDateCountStageSource
Darwin ForestSK26X30/06/20251adultvc57_irecords_extract

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