Phyllonorycter kuhlweiniella
Phyllonorycter kuhlweiniella
Adult • Sandy, Bedfordshire • © Ian Dawson

15.038 BF319

Phyllonorycter kuhlweiniella

(Zeller, 1839)

[Synonyms: saportella]
Wingspan c.8-9mm.

A rather local species, previously known from a few scattered records throughout England and one in Scotland, last seen in 1949. Then in the early 1980s it was discovered breeding in Norfolk and has since shown to be fairly common but very localised in the region. The individual shown from Bedfordshire was found by Ian Dawson in April 2014 and is the first Bedfordshire record for over a hundred years.

The adults are fairly distinctive, showing a contrasting white and chestnut coloration, and fly in two generations, in May and again from late July to August.

The larva feeds on oak (Quercus), creating a small blister mine on the underside of the leaves. Typically mines are located in the higher branches and are hence hard to locate.
back to top