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Tag Archives: Stigmella aceris

S is for Stigmella aceris

24 Friday Dec 2021

Posted by sconzani in insects, leaves, trees

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

leaf-mining moth larvae, leaf-mining moths, leafmines, leafmines on Field maple, leafmines on Norway maple, Stigmella aceris

As the leafmine season draws to a close (though I do still have a couple of finds to share early in 2022), I thought I’d post an update on our progress of monitoring the spread of the moth Stigmella aceris in the wider Cardiff area, a moth that was first recorded in Wales in 2019.

211224 stigmella aceris on field maple

The map on the left below shows 1km squares where the moth’s larval leafmines were present as at 11 November 2020; the map on the right as at 29 November 2021. The red-coloured squares represent new finds during that year; the mustard-coloured squares are finds from previous years, i.e. in the left map, the mustard squares were finds made in 2019; in the map on the right, the mustard squares show the finds at the end of 2020. I am just one of several enthusiastic local members of Team leafmine who have been helping with this surveying, walking many miles to check each 1km square and, as the maps show, we have been able to confirm that Stigmella aceris has spread quite extensively in 2021.

211224 stigmella aceris maps

The moth’s presence, of course, does depend on the presence of its larval food plants, the trees Field maple and Norway maple, so blank squares can indicate an absence of trees, rather than a failure to find any mines. Where the moth has been present for more than a year, it can be prolific, with several mines on each leaf of Field or Norway maple, whereas in newly colonised places, I’ve often found just one or two mines from a whole tree load of fallen leaves. It will be fascinating to check this tiny moth’s progress again in 2022.

211224 stigmella aceris on norway maple

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293/366 Stigmella aceris

19 Monday Oct 2020

Posted by sconzani in autumn, insects, leaves, trees

≈ 5 Comments

Tags

British moths, Field maple, leaf mines on maple, leaf-mining moth larvae, leafminer, Norway maple, Scarce Maple pigmy, Stigmella aceris

I’ve been hunting for leaf mines in recent days, the mines made by the larvae of the micro moth Stigmella aceris, which can be found at this time of year on the leaves of Norway and Field maples. Unfortunately, I haven’t made any finds of my own but my Twitter pal Gareth had the honour of finding the first mines in the Vale of Glamorgan last week so I went and checked out his find site to get a look at the mines for myself.

201019 leafmine (1)

According to the UK Moths website, this moth was classified as rare until 40 years ago, when it began increasing its range ‘dramatically’. It can now be found throughout central and southern England, and also in south Wales – it was found for the first time in Cardiff in November 2019.

201019 leafmine (2)

I’ve never seen the adult moth, which has the common name of Scarce maple pigmy – and probably never will – but you can see a photo of it on the British Lepidoptera weebly site here.

201019 leafmine (3)
201019 leafmine (4)

And now I’m heading out to check more Maple trees before their leaves all fall and turn to mush …

201019 leafmine (5)

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About me

sconzani

sconzani

I'm a writer and photographer; researcher and blogger; birder and nature lover; countryside rambler and city strider; volunteer and biodiversity recorder.

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