Photo © Pat Clements
Enteucha acetosae
Checklist Number04.001 [B&F: 0118]
Verification
Record requires retention of specimen until confirmed, and may require dissection. Consult with CMR if unsure
Classification
| Family: | Nepticulidae |
| Subfamily: | Nepticulinae |
| Genus: | Enteucha |
| Species: | acetosae |
| Authority: | (Stainton, 1854) |
Nationally scarce (Na) on heathland, dry pastures, chalk downland and cliff-tops in parts of south-eastern England, rare elsewhere. Very few records in Hampshire, with the first modern records from Longmoor in 1976. Several were found on Petersfield Heath, and nearby in Oakhanger in 2011, and again in 2025; Very old records exist for Woodfidley in South Hampshire, and two possibly unverifiable records for the Isle of Wight from the Victorian History of the island. With a wingspan 3-4 mm, Britain's smallest moth. Most frequently recorded in the larval stage, when mines are relatively easy to find where they are present. Larva mines leaves of Sheep's Sorrel and Common Sorrel, over-wintering as a pupa. The mines are described in the following link:
leafmines.co.uk
.
leafmines.co.uk
.
The abundance in each month is indicated as follows:
No records
Very occasional
Irregular
Uncommon
Off-peak, but not unusual
Off-peak, but not unusual
Main flight time| J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adult | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Larval | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Records by week (adult)
Records by week (larval)
VC10 Isle of Wight
| Site | Date | Quantity | Recorder | Stage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Isle of Wight (SZ57) | 1894 | - | A C Hervey | Larval |
| Niton (SZ57) | 1900 | - | Victoria County Hist of Hants & IW 1900 | Mine |
VC11 South Hampshire
| Site | Date | Quantity | Recorder | Stage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Woodfidley (SU30) | 1894 | - | Unknown | Larval |
| Petersfield Heath Pond (SU72) | 14/09/2011 | - | John R Langmaid | Mine |
| Petersfield Heath (SU72) | 17/09/2011 | - | Tony Davis | Mine |
| Petersfield Heath Pond (SU72) | 17/10/2011 | - | J R Langmaid, M R Young | Mine |
| Heath Pond, Petersfield (SU72) | 23/06/2021 | eight | Tony Davis | Mine |
| Petersfield Heath (SU72) | 17/08/2024 | two | Tony Davis | Mine |
VC12 North Hampshire
| Site | Date | Quantity | Recorder | Stage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Longmoor (SU72) | 1975 | two | D W H Ffennell | Larval |
| Longmoor (SU83) | 1975 | two | D W H Ffennell | Larval |
| Longmoor (SU72) | 25/05/1976 | - | D W H Ffennell | Larval |
| Shortheath Common, Oakhanger (SU73) | 23/09/2011 | seven | Tony Davis | Mine |
| Petersfield Common (SU83) | 27/09/2018 | - | Seth Gibson | Mine |
| Minley Wood (SU85) | 20/09/2022 | 21 | Ben Dale | Mine |
