Leaf-miner
and case-bearer: The larva feeds by inserting its head into small mines it creates
on the leaves of birch, elm, alder, or hazel. Occasionally it is
found feeding on other trees, or on herbaceous plants onto which
it has accidentally Fallén. It forms two cases during its larval
life. The first case is initially curved, smooth, laterally compressed
with a bivalved anal opening, and about 2 mm long in September.
During October it feeds, and adds a few rough collars of larval
material around the oral opening. After hibernation, it feeds again
in April and early May, adding more protruding collars until they
equal or exceed the original smooth part of the case. At the same
time, it expands the case girth by the creation of a silk gusset
ventrally. The second case, 6 or 7 mm long, is formed in May, leaving
the vacated first case attached to its last feeding mine. The new
case is tubular with a trivalved crimp at the anal opening. The
dorsum is formed from the edge of the leaf from which the case was
cut. This results in a more or less serrated dorsal keel, depending
on the plant species and the individual piece of leaf used. Considerable
variation in the degree of serration can be found, even among specimens
off the same tree. The case colour varies with food plant, from
yellowish brown on birch, darkening through elm and hazel to dark
brown on alder (UKMoths).
The
strongly curved young case is is a composite leaf case, the adult
case is a tubular leaf case. The adult case is bivalved, about 7
mm in length; the mouth angle is around 30°. The case is straw
coloured and almost always has a toothed dorsal keel (remnant of
the margin of the leaf from which the case was cut). Neither larvae
or cases of C. coracipennella, prunifoliae, serratelaem> and spinella can be separated;
from serratella (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).The larva is illustrated in Bladmineerders van Europa.
Pupa: The pupae of moths have visible head appendages, wings and legs which lie in sheaths (see examples).
Pupation is in the larval case fixed to the upper surface of
a leaf in a sunny situation. Sometimes pupation is on plants other
than those fed on (UKMoths).
Adult:
The adult is illustrated in UKMoths and the Encyclopedia
of Life. The species is included in mothdissection.co.uk.
Hosts in Great Britain and Ireland:
Hosts
elsewhere:
Time
of year - larvae: Late September to late October, then May to
early June (British
leafminers; UKMoths).
Time
of year - adults: June (UKMoths).
Distribution
in Great Britain and Ireland: This is probably the commonest
species of British Coleophorid, and is found throughout the British
Isles (UKMoths)
including Anglesey, Banffshire, Bedfordshire, Berwickshire, Breconshire, Buckinghamshire, Caernarvonshire,
Cambridgeshire, Cardiganshire, Cheshire, Cumberland, Denbighshire,
Derbyshire, Dorset, Dumfriesshire, Dunbartonshire, Durham, East Cornwall, East Gloucestershire, East Kent, East Norfolk, East Ross, East Suffolk, Easterness, Elgin, Fife, Flintshire, Glamorgan, Haddington, Herefordshire, Hertfordshire, Huntingdonshire, Isle of Wight, Kincardineshire, Leicestershire, Linlithgow, Main Argyll, Merionethshire, Middlesex,
Monmouthshire, North Aberdeenshire, North Devon, North Ebudes, North Essex, North Hampshire, North Northumberland, North Somerset, Northamptonshire,
Nottinghamshire, Pembrokeshire, Shropshire, South Aberdeenshire, South Hampshire, South Lancashire, South Somerset, South Northumberland, South-east Yorkshire, South-west Yorkshire, Stafford, Stirlingshire, Surrey,
West Cornwall, West Gloucestershire, West Lancashire, West Norfolk, West Perthshire, West Ross, West Suffolk, Westmorland, Wigtownshire and Worcestershire
(NBN
Atlas) and the Channel Is. (Fauna Europaea).
Also recorded in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland (National Biodiversity Data Centre Map).
Distribution
elsewhere: Widespread in continental Europe including Austria,
Balearic Is., Belgium, Croatia, Czech Republic, Danish mainland,
Estonia, ? Faroe Is., Finland, French mainland, Germany, Hungary,
Italian mainland, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Norwegian mainland,
Poland, Portuguese mainland, Romania, Russia - Central, North and
South, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spanish mainland, Sweden, Switzerland
and The Netherlands. Also recorded in the East Palaearctic, Near
East and Nearctic region (Fauna Europaea).
NBN Atlas links to known host species:
Alnus
glutinosa, Alnus
incana, Alnus
viridis, Amelanchier
ovalis, Betula
nana, Betula
pendula, Betula
pubescens, Carpinus
betulus, Corylus
avellana, Crataegus
monogyna, Eriobotrya
japonica, Malus
pumila, Malus
sylvestris, Mespilus
germanica, Myrica
gale, Salix
caprea, Sorbus aria, Sorbus
aucuparia, Sorbus intermedia, Spiraea
x vanhouttei, Ulmus
glabra |
British and Irish Parasitoids in Britain and elsewhere:
Chalcidoidea |
|
Copidosoma peticus (Walker, 1846) |
Encyrtidae: Encyrtinae |
Chrysocharis elongata (Thomson, 1878) |
Eulophidae: Entedoninae |
Chrysocharis laricinellae (Ratzeburg, 1848) |
Eulophidae: Entedoninae |
Chrysocharis nephereus (Walker, 1839) |
Eulophidae: Entedoninae |
Closterocerus
trifasciatus Westwood, 1833 |
Eulophidae: Entedoninae |
Miotropis unipuncta (Nees, 1834) |
Eulophidae: Eulophinae |
Eupelmus vesicularis (Retzius, 1783) |
Eupelmidae: Eupelminae |
Eurytoma verticillata (Fabricius, 1798) |
Eurytomidae: Eurytominae |
Dibrachys microgastri (Bouché, 1834) |
Pteromalidae: Pteromalinae |
Mesopolobus mediterraneus (Mayr, 1903) |
Pteromalidae: Pteromalinae |
Pteromalus puparum (Linnaeus, 1758) |
Pteromalidae: Pteromalinae |
Sceptrothelys deione (Walker, 1839) |
Pteromalidae: Pteromalinae |
Ichneumonoidea - Links to species no longer available |
|
Therophilus mediator (Nees, 1814) |
Braconidae: Agathidinae |
Bracon osculator Nees, 1811 |
Braconidae: Braconinae |
Bracon claripennis Thomson, 1892 |
Braconidae: Braconinae |
Apanteles corvinus Reinhard, 1880 |
Braconidae: Microgastrinae |
Dolichogenidea breviventris (Ratzeburg, 1848) |
Braconidae: Microgastrinae |
Dolichogenidea coleophorae (Wilkinson, 1938) |
Braconidae: Microgastrinae |
Dolichogenidea decora (Haliday, 1834) |
Braconidae: Microgastrinae |
Dolichogenidea dilecta (Haliday, 1834) |
Braconidae: Microgastrinae |
Dolichogenidea faucula (Nixon, 1972) |
Braconidae: Microgastrinae |
Dolichogenidea infima (Haliday, 1834) |
Braconidae: Microgastrinae |
Pholetesor elpis (Nixon, 1973) |
Braconidae: Microgastrinae |
Orgilus punctulator (Nees, 1811) |
Braconidae: Orgilinae |
Orgilus rugosus (Nees, 1834) |
Braconidae: Orgilinae |
Campoplex punctipleuris Horstmann, 1980 |
Ichneumonidae: Campopleginae |
Campoplex tumidulus Gravenhorst, 1829 |
Ichneumonidae: Campopleginae |
Diadegma fenestrale (Holmgren, 1860) |
Ichneumonidae: Campopleginae |
Agrothereutes abbreviatus (Fabricius 1794) |
Ichneumonidae: Cryptinae |
Bathythrix thomsoni (Kerrich, 1942) |
Ichneumonidae: Cryptinae |
Eudelus scabriculus (Thomson, 1884) |
Ichneumonidae: Cryptinae |
Gelis agilis (Fabricius, 1775) |
Ichneumonidae: Cryptinae |
Gelis areator (Panzer, 1804) |
Ichneumonidae: Cryptinae |
Gelis exareolatus (Forster 1850) |
Ichneumonidae: Cryptinae |
Gelis fuscicornis (Retzius, 1783) |
Ichneumonidae: Cryptinae |
Gelis hortensis (Christ, 1791) |
Ichneumonidae: Cryptinae |
Gelis meigenii (Förster, 1850) |
Ichneumonidae: Cryptinae |
Itoplectis maculator (Fabricius, 1775) |
Ichneumonidae: Pimplinae |
Scambus calobatus (Gravenhorst, 1829) |
Ichneumonidae: Pimplinae |
Scambus inanis (Schrank, 1802) |
Ichneumonidae: Pimplinae |
Neliopisthus elegans (Ruthe, 1855) |
Ichneumonidae: Tryphoniinae |
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