Mompha miscella

Mompha miscella

Alternative names
Rock-rose Mompha
Brown Cosmet
Brown Mompha
Description

Wingspan 7 to 9 mm. Rather more russet brown than other members of the genus.  The larva mines the leaves of various species of Rock-rose. Initially a gallery is made and filled with frass. It is widened abruptly into a blotch, which absorbs the gallery and may occupy the whole leaf. The frass may then be dispersed or heaped in the blotch. 

Identification difficulty

Adult leaf mine

Recording advice

Photograph the mine and note the host species

Habitat

Where its foodplant Rockrose (Helianthemum) occurs.

When to see it

The adults fly in two generations, primarily May to mid-June, and mid-July and August, but specimens can be found any time from late April to early October. Adults can often be taken in a fine meshed net by day, if the foodplants or nearby low vegetation are disturbed.

Life History

The larva mines the leaves of Helianthemum. A larva may mine more than one leaf before it vacates the mine to pupate in a silk cocoon among leaf litter. The larval stage occurs in October-April and in June-July.

UK Status

Rather local in distribution and usually confined to limestone and chalk areas in southern Britain, but extending onto slightly acid soils in N.E. England and E. Scotland. It may be frequent where its foodplants occur. Its absence from Ireland is accounted for by the extreme rarity there of Helianthemum. In the Butterfly Conservation's Microlepidoptera Report 2011 this species was classified as local.

VC55 Status

Rare in Leicestershire and Rutland, the Sapcote record of 23rd August 2016 is the first for VC55. L&R Moth Group status = D (rare or rarely recorded).

Reference
40.012 BF884

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

No additional images available for this species.

All NatureSpot records