UKMoths Stigmella myrtillella - Distribution map
Please note that the NBN Gateway map service has been terminated as of 1 April 2017.
As soon as a replacement map service is available, distribution maps will hopefully appear here again.
In the meantime, you can get some idea of distribution from the NBN Atlas website.
4.036 BF72
Stigmella myrtillella
(Stainton, 1857)
Wingspan 4-6 mm.
A relatively local species, but hard to find and probably overlooked in many places due to its upland bias. It has been found in England, Wales and Scotland, but is scarce in the south-east. In Ireland it has occurred in the south-west.
The foodplant is bilberry (Vaccinium), the larvae creating a mine which begins as a contorted gallery with a central line of frass, which then widens out and forms a false blotch. These can be found in July and from September to October.
The adult has dark purplish wings with a whitish fascia, orange head and white eyecaps.
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