Stigmella roborella

Alternative names
Oak Dot
Common Oak Pigmy
Description

Wingspan around 6 mm. Best recorded from the larval mines which are found on the leaves of Oak.  These mines can be very similar to those of Stigmella atricapitella. Adult moths are plain greyish to brown with a bronzy sheen. The head is yellow or orange and the eyecaps whitish.

Identification difficulty

Adult Leafmine  

Recording advice

Adults: It may not be possible to identify adults to species level and gen det would be essential.

Leafmines: Please provide photographs to support your record and add a note of the host species in the ‘Comments’ section when submitting a record. It is essential to note the egg position and, if the larva is present, to include a photograph of the larva.

Habitat

Wherever Oak is present.

When to see it

The larva mines leaves of oak (Quercus robur) in two generations, during June and July and again in October and November. Adult moths fly in May and June and again in August and September.

Life History

Larvae feed on Oak.

UK Status

The distribution of this species is still imperfectly known, due to confusion with other oak-feeding species, in particular S. atricapitella, but it seems to be widespread and fairly frequent in Britain. In the Butterfly Conservation's Microlepidoptera Report 2011 this species was classified as common.

VC55 Status

Infrequently recorded in Leicestershire and Rutland.

Reference
4.063 BF86

Leicestershire & Rutland Map

MAP KEY:

Yellow squares = NBN records (all known data)
Coloured circles = NatureSpot records: 2020+ | 2015-2019 | pre-2015

UK Map

Species profile

Common names
Common Oak Pigmy
Species group:
Moths
Kingdom:
Animalia
Order:
Lepidoptera
Family:
Nepticulidae
Records on NatureSpot:
55
First record:
14/09/2020 (Skevington, Mark)
Last record:
28/10/2022 (Calow, Graham)

Total records by month

% of records within its species group

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