4.079 BF41  – Oak-bark Dot – Zimmermannia atrifrontella – Stainton, 1851 Adult Micro:  CAT 4 – Dissection required – Gen-Det-Reqd       Leaf-miner:  CAT R – Moth will need to be reared and possibly dissected – reared and possibly dissected       Larval Case:  C1 – Distinctive Species –       PDF Icon – click for General Verification Guidelines  |   PDF Icon – click for Specific Verification Guidelines
Verification Notes: Rather than lose this record of an adult, along with records of the leaf-mines, we have created an aggregate 4.079X Zimmermannia atrifrontella/ longicaudella – the data is also entered to the aggregate.

Brown –  Significant Record / Very Rare / Vagrant         purple – Leaf-miner
Taxonomy:   Micro   >>  Nepticulidae  >> Nepticulinae
Other Name/s: Oak-bark Pigmy Ectoedemia atrifrontella
ID Difficulty:  Red – difficult to identify – detailed examination required, often a Gen Det and/or specimen and quality photographs are required.
Confusion Species: Zimmermannia longicaudella
ID pointers: A greyish-brown fairly plain looking forewing which has a speckled apearance due to dark tipped scales. A black head and white thorax.
Distribution:  (First record: 12 August 2025 at Norton Lees )  –  (Last record: 24 January 2026 at Hall lane Ponds, Markham Vale )  –  A possible first record for the VC57 Derbyshire recording area. An adult taken at light in Norton Lees on 12th August 2025. Leaf mines were discovered under the bark of an Oak tree at Hall Lane Ponds, Markham Vale on 24th Jan 2026 but mines must be entered to Zimmermannia atrifrontella/longicaudella, as they are indistinguishable from each other. Z. atrifrontella is the most likely contender, due to Z. longicaudella’s very limited range. 
General Comment: Rather than lose this record of an adult, along with a record of the leaf-mines, we have created an aggregate 4.079X Zimmermannia atrifrontella/ longicaudella – the data for this record is also entered to the aggregate page. Unfortunately the recorder wasn’t able to obtain a Genitalia Determination as the species is a CAT4, so record was set as  unable to be verified.
Flight Period: June /  July /  August /  September –  June – September Mine Period: Not Recorded
Mine Period Additional: The mines are indistinguishable from longicaudella and need to be recorded as aggregate Zimmermannia atrifrontella/longicaudella
Mine ID Difficulty:  Red Mine Leaf – Mine cannot be identified without breeding through and then adult may need to be examined by Gen Det Prep.
Mine Type/s: Not Recorded
Mine Feeding Method/s: Not Recorded
Mine Comment: None.
Moth Activity: Nocturnal   – and is attracted to light Photographed: Yes –  Photographed By: Pete Mella – adult / Mark Radford – leaf-mines  © All Rights Reserved
*** Last updated on 9 February 2026 by TD ***
Wingspan: 7-9mm
Food Plant: Oak Bark
Last Recorded Year: 2026
First Recorded Year: 2025
Last Recorded By – Mark Radford
Last Recorded General Area – Hall lane Ponds, Markham Vale

Selected Images:  

Norton Lees 12th Aug 2025 – Pete Mella© / Leaf-mines – 25th Jan 2026 – Hall lane Ponds, Markham Vale, Mark Radford©



Occurrence Distribution From All Available Data (Adult & Immature)
(click legend below to show/hide datasets)

Distribution Map for Zimmermannia atrifrontella

No records found
Flying
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Mining
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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 – Zimmermannia atrifrontella

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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: Zimmermannia atrifrontella
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )
No data returned from the database.

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


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

Shading shows moth presence between dates

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

Hectad (10kmx10km) Coverage: Zimmermannia atrifrontella
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )

Flight Periods – Indicative –vs– Recorded Data
Zimmermannia atrifrontella

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
Zimmermannia atrifrontella
( 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 - Zimmermannia atrifrontella – 0 records available

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

No records found for Zimmermannia atrifrontella.

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