Argyresthia?

[JRsbugs]

Taken on 10th May on a mossy fence. Approx. 5mm long. Looks close to Argyresthia trifasciata but not like any pics I have seen.

Any help appreciated.

Janet

[charlieb]

Looks like a Horse Chestnut Leaf-miner Cameraria ohridella

[JRsbugs]

Originally Posted by charlieb

Looks like a Horse Chestnut Leaf-miner Cameraria ohridella

Thanks Charlieb! I agree, it does look like that and the description fits. I also have a huge horse chestnut tree nearby!

The descriptionon UKmoths..

"This species was discovered near Macedonia in 1985, and since then has spread rapidly to other countries in Europe. It was first discovered in Britain at Wimbledon in south-west London in 2002, but possibly had arrived the previous year, as it was quite plentiful. It is thought that the species may be expanding partially due to accidental transportation by man, either by road or rail. It has now been found quite extensively in the south-east of England.

The larva mines the leaves of horse chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum) causing noticeable brown blotches, often many to one leaf. There is however, a similar-looking fungus which can cause confusion.

The adult moths resemble other Gracillariidae, although are quite distinctively dark reddish-brown with a noticeable white frons. It is thought that three generations exist."

The dark reddish-brown is a bit off, the colour was more as shown but the rest fits. I'm not quite south-east either, but I get a lot of south-east insects I shouldn't have.