Wingspan 5 to 6 mm. Plain looking bronzy olive forewing, darker towards the apex. The larva mines the leaves of Elm.

Stigmella lemniscella mines on Elm can occasionally start with a tight coil, but not with intestine-like loops; they can be mistaken for S viscerella unless examined closely with backlight.

Adult Leafmine

When recording leaf-mine, provide a backlit image showing looped gallery

Areas where Elm is present.

Single brooded; May to June.

The larva mines Elm. The leaf mine may be seen from September and starts as a slender contorted gallery that looks like a tiny blotch, then progresses in a series of very tight 'S' turns.

Local throughout much of England, with records north to Durham. In the Butterfly Conservation's Microlepidoptera Report 2011 this species was classified as local.

Occasional in Leicestershire and Rutland.

http://www.leafmines.co.uk/html/Lepidoptera/S.viscerella.htm

https://bladmineerders.nl/parasites/animalia/arthropoda/insecta/lepidoptera/monotrysia/nepticuloidea/nepticulidae/stigmella/stigmella-viscerella/