B&F: 0262

ABH: 21.002

Status:  Residemt

Distribution/Abundance:  Rare (but expanding range)

Primary Habitat:  General, Hedgerows, Woodland

Wingspan:  9-10mm

Flight Period:  September, and after hibernation in spring.

Observations:  Expanding its range following a period of probable extinction in the UK. The "1895" record has some mystery attached to it! Meryck lists it in his 1895 book for VC32 as being recorded from "Whittlebury Forest" (aka Whittlewood Forest), which is repeated in Eustace Wallis' Lepidoptera of Northamptonshire published in the early 20th Century. Interestingly, the Buckinghamshire moth database also has a record of the species as being "near Stony Stratford" and attributed to Stainton in his book of 1859. Maitland Emmet comments that the two records may in fact be of the same capture. The larvae mine the leaves of Blackthorn.

Confusion Species: 

L.O.N.:  Whittlebury Forest, Sept - Oct

First Record:  1895, Meyrick.