Yorkshire Status: Very common resident.
"Abundant everywhere" exclaimed Porritt in 1907. This is still true today, and of the many species of Phyllonorycter which form underside blister mines on oak, this is the commonest and most widespread, occurring wherever there are oaks. Adults are easy to identify but may need a hand lens to see the long basal streak which extends well beyond the first pair of strigulae, unlike P. messaniella where the streak stops well short. Adults are common in light traps in spring and late summer. The mines are not sufficiently distinctive to be identified without breeding out the moth or identifying it from the pupal cremasters.
Sutton & Beaumont, 1989: Recorded throughout all five vice-counties, the most widespread and abundant of the oak-feeding species of Phyllonorycter. Verification Grade Comment: Mine: Reared or puparium cremasters examined. | Mine: Moth needs to be reared and, in some cases, possibly dissected. | |
Recorded in 98 (49%) of 200 10k Squares. First Recorded in 1859. Last Recorded in 2023. Additional Stats |