Stigmella microtheriella

Wingspan 3 to 4 mm. The adults have purplish-bronzy wings with a silvery fascia, and darker purple outside the fascia. They closely resemble several other family members.

Adult Leafmine

Leafmine occurs on Hazel and Hornbeam. http://www.leafmines.co.uk/html/Lepidoptera/S.microtheriella.htm

Areas where hazel is present.

They fly in May and again during August.

The larvae create narrow, often angular mines in the leaves of hazel and less commonly, hornbeam. Sometimes there can be several larvae mining the same leaf. The mines can be found in July and in October and November.

Widespread and fairly frequent in Britain. In the Butterfly Conservation's Microlepidoptera Report 2011 this species was classified as common.

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