With the possible exception of the recently renamed Dyseriocrania subpurpurella, the correct identification of the adults requires some skill with a scalpel and the use of a microscope, examining the genitalia in order to confirm identity.

However, all UK Eriocranias are easily identifiable without resorting to genitalia dissection (gen det) simply by keying out the leaf mine using a combination of characteristic features.

This page should help the inexperienced observer, with the identification of Eriocrania mines found on Birch (six species) and Oak (one species).

There are currently seven of the UK's eight known species of Eriocrania on the Nottinghamshire micro moth species list. Eriocrania chrysolepidella is the only absentee from the Nottinghamshire list we originally compiled in late 2013. The scarcest of the eight species, E. chrysolepidella has a localised distribution in parts of the southern UK, although there are isolated records from counties north of Nottinghamshire. This could be one of the many over-looked micro moths, waiting to be discovered in some east Nottinghamshire woodland where Hazel grows plentifully.

The usually pure metallic gold colour of D. subpurpurella, does help to distinguish it from all our other species by sight, but occasional specimens can be flecked with scales of purple, causing confusion with our other species, so the identification of most adult Eriocranias, is best left to dissection to confirm.

Dyseriocrania subpurpurella is the only species where the larva mines the leaves of Oak. All the others (with the exception of Eriocrania chrysolepidella on Hazel) feed on Birch. Therefore, the problem of identifying any Eriocrania mine found on Birch, has already been reduced by two species, leaving just the six.