The leaf and stem mines of British flies and other insects
 

(Coleoptera, Diptera, Hymenoptera and Lepidoptera)

by Brian Pitkin, Willem Ellis, Colin Plant and Rob Edmunds

  

Coleophora genistae Stainton, 1857
[Lepidoptera: Coleophoridae]

Petty-whin Case-bearer

Coleophora genistae Stainton, 1857. Entomol. Ann.: 105.

Leaf-miner and case-bearer: The larva feeding on the leaves, and sometimes the flowers. The leaves are blanched by the feeding and the species often feeds gregariously, becoming a pest. The larval case is built in a distinctive herringbone-like fashion, and is sometimes likened to a spikelet of certain grasses (UKMoths).

Lobe case. Each lobe consists of a mined leaflet, that has been sliced open at one side. The lobes are attached alternatively dorsally and ventrally, resulting in a sharp dorsal and ventral keel. The complete case strongly resembles a grass spikelet, like of Bromus. Mouth angle 20-40° (Bladmineerders van Europa).

Case of Coleophora genistae on Genista anglica

Case of Coleophora genistae on Genista anglica
Image: © Willem Ellis (Bladmineerders van Europa)

Larva: The larvae of moths have a head capsule and chewing mouthparts with opposable mandibles (see video of a gracillarid larva feeding), six thoracic legs and abdominal legs (see examples).

See Suire (1961a) and Emmet et al. (1996a) (Bladmineerders van Europa).

Pupa: The pupae of moths have visible head appendages, wings and legs which lie in sheaths (see examples).

Adult: The adult is illustrated in UKMoths. The species is included in mothdissection.co.uk.

Hosts in Great Britain and Ireland:

Fabaceae        
Genista anglica Petty Whin British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. British leafminers
Genista anglica Petty Whin British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Pitkin & Plant
Genista anglica Petty Whin British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. UKMoths

Hosts elsewhere:

Fabaceae        
Genista       Belgian Lepidoptera
Genista anglica Petty Whin British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Belgian Lepidoptera
Genista anglica Petty Whin British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa
Genista pilosa Hairy Greenweed British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa

Time of year - larvae: September to October, feeding again from May to June (British leafminers).

Time of year - adults: June to August (UKMoths).

Distribution in Great Britain and Ireland: Britain including Anglesey, Caernarvonshire, Dorset, Durham, East Kent, East Norfolk, East Suffolk, East Sussex, Glamorgan, Hertfordshire, Isle of Wight, Merionethshire, Montgomeryshire, Shropshire, South Aberdeenshire, Stafford, Surrey, West Cornwall, West Norfolk, West Suffolk and Worcestershire (NBN Atlas).

Its recorded hosts - Genista anglica and Genista pilosa - are not recorded in Ireland.

Distribution elsewhere: Widespread in continental Europe including Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Danish mainland, French mainland, Germany, Greek mainland, Hungary, Italian mainland, Macedonia, Portuguese mainland, Romania, Sardinia, Slovakia, Spanish mainland, Sweden and The Netherlands (Fauna Europaea).

NBN Atlas links to known host species:

Genista anglica, Genista pilosa

British and Irish Parasitoids in Britain and elsewhere:

Ichneumonoidea - Links to species no longer available  
Gelis agilis (Fabricius, 1775) Ichneumonidae: Cryptinae
Gelis meigenii (Förster, 1850) Ichneumonidae: Cryptinae

External links: Search the internet:

Belgian Lepidoptera
Biodiversity Heritage Library
Bladmineerders van Europa
British leafminers
Encyclopedia of Life
Fauna Europaea
NBN Atlas
NHM UK Checklist
UKMoths

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 Last updated 11-Jul-2019  Brian Pitkin Top of page