Wingspan 4.5 to 6 mm. Adults may only be identified via dissection or if reared from a leaf mine [when black head colouration separates from orange head of S. aurella].

Other Stigmella spp.

Adult Leafmine

Leafmine occurs on a number of plants including Bramble, Wild Strawberry, Agrimony and various Geum species. http://www.leafmines.co.uk/html/Lepidoptera/S.splendidissimella.htm

The mine is a long meandering gallery with a neat central frass line. S. aurella produces similar mines usually with dispersed frass, but can produce mines that are very similar to S. splendidissimella. Therefore all leaf mine records of either species where the frass line is central and not dispersed should be tenanted and reared through to adult.

Areas where the larval foodplants are present.

Tenanted mines typically found May - June and August - September.

In the Butterfly Conservation's Microlepidoptera Report 2011 this species was classified as common.

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