Phyllonorycter maestingella

Wingspan 7 to 9 mm. A clear indication that some of the smaller moths are the most beautiful; this tiny moth has an intricate pattern of orange-brown, white and black.  The larva mines the leaves of Beech.

Adult Leafmine

Around Beech.

It has two broods, flying late April to June, and again in August.

The larva creates a long blotch mine on the underside of leaves of Beech, usually between two veins from midrib almost to leaf edge.

It is fairly common throughout Britain. In the Butterfly Conservation’s Microlepidoptera Report 2011 this species was classified as common.

Occasional in Leicestershire and Rutland. L&R Moth Group status = C (very scarce resident or rare migrant), however because of its tiny size and difficulty of identification it may well be under recorded.

http://www.leafmines.co.uk/html/Lepidoptera/P.maestingella.htm

https://bladmineerders.nl/parasites/animalia/arthropoda/insecta/lepidoptera/ditrysia/gracillarioidea/gracillariidae/lithocolletinae/phyllonorycter/phyllonorycter-maestingella/