Stigmella aurella, Bramble Leaf Miner

Common Name: Bramble Leaf Miner

The large group of moths known as the Nepticulidae are all very tiny, and because of the way their larvae feed internally on leaves, they are known as leaf-miners. The shape of the pale gallery or blotch created by the larva as it feeds is usually a better means of identification than comparing the adult moths.

The foodplant of choice for Stigmella aurella is bramble (Rubus), although other plants such as geums and agrimony have been recorded, and the adults, with a wingspan of only 6mm, have a metallic sheen and fly in May and later in the summer.

This species is probably the commonest and most widespread in the British Isles, and its whitish mines are a familiar sight on bramble leaves everywhere.

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