Leucoptera spartifoliella

Wingspan 7 to 9 mm. A tiny, whitish moth with brown and silvery markings near the tip of the tail.

Where Broom, the larval foodplant, is present.

The adults fly during June and July.

The larvae feed under the bark of twigs of broom (Cytisus scoparius). The mines are very hard to detect, but in late spring, the small white pupal cocoons are easy to spot among the dark stems.

In the Butterfly Conservation's Microlepidoptera Report 2011 this species was classified as local.

Occasional in Leicestershire and Rutland. L&R Moth Group status = C (very scarce resident or rare migrant).