Blastodacna atra
Apple-pith Moth
Wingspan 11 to 13 mm. Ground colour of this species seems to vary from pale brown to much darker almost black specimens.
Occurring in orchards and gardens.
The adult moths occur between May and September, and are sometimes attracted to garden light-traps.
The larvae feed inside small twigs of apple, mining under the surface and causing the shoot to die off.
Widely but thinly distributed in England, it is even more local in Scotland, Wales and Ireland. In the Butterfly Conservation's Microlepidoptera Report 2011 this species was classified as Nationally Scarce B.
It appears to be uncommon in Leicestershire and Rutland, where there are few records. L&R Moth Group status = D (rare or rarely recorded).
Mark Skevington
Whetstone Garden
14 August 2012
Jonesboy1
broughton astley
12 July 2016
Leicestershire & Rutland Map
Enter a town or village to see local records
MAP KEY:
Yellow squares = NBN records (all known data)
Coloured circles = NatureSpot records: 2025+ | 2020-2024 | pre-2020
UK Map
Species profile
- Common names
- Apple Pith Moth
- Species group:
- Moths
- Kingdom:
- Animalia
- Order:
- Lepidoptera
- Family:
- Parametriotidae
- Records on NatureSpot:
- 7
- First record:
- 14/08/2012 (Skevington, Mark)
- Last record:
- 21/06/2024 (Mabbett, Craig)
Total records by month
% of records within its species group
10km squares with records
The latest images and records displayed below include those awaiting verification checks so we cannot guarantee that every identification is correct. Once accepted, the record displays a green tick.
In the Latest Records section, click on the header to sort A-Z, and again to sort Z-A. Use the header boxes to filter the list.