Three-spot Dot Stigmella trimaculella

Formerly given the vernacular name Black-poplar Pigmy.

Adults are relatively straightforward to identify by the standards of this family. Some of the Etainia species are superficially similar and as this was a first for the garden (which isn't particularly close to any poplar as far as I know, other than a single Aspen) and it was my first adult anywhere, I thought it was worth checking the genitalia (the apodomes became detached as I was cleaning it, hence them being separate in the photos below).

female Three-spot Dot Stigmella trimaculella showing genitalia, North Elmham (Norfolk, UK), 30th June 2025

I had seen the leaf-mines before.

Three-spot Dot Stigmella trimaculella leaf-mine, Yarrow, North Elmham (Norfolk, UK), 11th September 2021

I think this was one of the first leaf-mines I ever tried to identify and I wasn't confident about it at the time, but it looks right I think.

Three-spot Dot Stigmella trimaculella leaf-mine, Creaking Gate Lake, Bittering (Norfolk, UK), 23rd September 2014

This one was found during the Norfolk Moth Survey's annual leaf-mine event and would have been identified by Stewart and/or Ken.

Three-spot Dot Stigmella trimaculella leaf-mine, Wendling Beck Environment Project (Norfolk, UK), 25th October 2025