Caloptilia stigmatella

Caloptilia stigmatella

Alternative names
Willow Stilt
White-triangle Slender
Description

Wingspan 12 to 14 mm. A small but distinctive species, resting in the characteristic erect posture typical of the genus Caloptilia. The forelegs are thickly scaled at the base, appearing 'feathered'. The body is chestnut brown with a noticeable white triangle midway along the body length.  The larva mines the leaves of Willow and Poplar, intially in a long narrow corridor usually on the undersurface of the leaf, then in a silvery blotch that developes into a tentiform mine with a brown epidermis. Finally the larva leaves the mine to live in a folded leaf margin or leaf-tip. 

Identification difficulty

Adult Leafmine

Recording advice

Photograph the mine and/or the leaf fold; note the host species in the Comments

Habitat

Various habitats, especially places where the larval foodplants are found.

When to see it

It flies in late June and July, and again from September onwards.

UK Status

Fairly frequent throughout England and Wales. In the Butterfly Conservation’s Microlepidoptera Report 2011 this species was classified as common.

VC55 Status

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

Reference
15.010 BF288

Leicestershire & Rutland Map

MAP KEY:

Yellow squares = NBN records (all known data)
Coloured circles = NatureSpot records: 2025+ | 2020-2024 | pre-2020

UK Map

Additional images

All NatureSpot records