Coleophora taeniipennella [Lepidoptera: Coleophoridae] in Leaf and stem mines of British flies and other insects

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 taeniipennella Herrich-Schäffer, 1855
[Lepidoptera: Coleophoridae]

Small Rush Case-bearer

Coleophora taeniipennella Herrich-Schäffer, 1855. Schmett. Europ. 5: 249, pl. 110, 879
Coleophora galactaula Meyrick, 1928. Entomologist. 21: 92.

Seed-feeder and case-bearer: Larva feeds on seeds. The full-grown case is 5 mm long, the oral end enclosed within a seed-head (British leafminers).

The case is also illustrated in UKMoths.

Case of Coleophora taeniipennella on Juncus spp
Image: © Guy Meredith (British leafminers)

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).

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:

Juncaceae
Juncus			British leafminers

Hosts elsewhere: Currently unknown.

Time of year - larvae: August to November (British leafminers).

Time of year - adults: Currently unknown.

Distribution in Great Britain and Ireland: Britain including Anglesey, Bedfordshire, Breconshire, Caernarvonshire, Cambridgeshire, Denbighshire, Dorset, Dumfireshire, Durham, East Cornwall, East Kent, East Norfolk, East Ross, East Suffolk, Fife, Flintshire, Glamorgan, Haddihgton, Herefordshire, Hertfodhire, Huntingdonshire, Shropshire, South Aberdeenshire, South Hampshire, South-east Yorkshire, South-west Yorkshire, Stafford, Surrey, West Cornwall, West Gloucestershire, West Kent, West Norfolk, West Ross, West Suffolk and Worcestershire (NBN Atlas).

Also recorded in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland (Fauna Europaea and National Biodiversity Data Centre Map).

Distribution elsewhere: Widespread in continental Europe including Albania, Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Czech Republic, Danish mainland, Finland, French mainland, Germany, Greek mainland, Hungary, Italian mainland, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, North Aegean Is., Norwegian mainland, Poland, Portuguese mainland, Romania, Russia - South, Sardinia, Slovakia, Spanish mainland, Sweden, Switzerland and The Netherlands. Also recorded in the Near East (Fauna Europaea).

NBN Atlas links to known host species:

Host species unknown

British and Irish Parasitoids in Britain and elsewhere:

Chalcidoidea
Dicladocerus westwoodii Westwood, 1856	Eulophidae: Eulophinae


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	Find using Google Find using Google Scholar Find images using Google


	Last updated 26-Jun-2019 Brian Pitkin