Stigmella roborella

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 have a central ine of frass and the larva has a pale brown head without dark sclerites.  The adult moths are plain greyish to brown with a bronzy sheen; the head is yellow or orange and the eyecaps whitish.

Similar Species

Leaf mines are very similar to those of Stigmella atricapitella and other Stigmella on Oak.

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. Vacated and early mines cannot be identified.

Habitat

Wherever Oak is present.

When to see it

The larva mines leaves of oak 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: 2025+ | 2020-2024 | pre-2020

UK Map

Additional images

All NatureSpot records