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 anatipenella (Hübner, 1796)
[Lepidoptera: Coleophoridae]

Pistol Case-bearer


Tinea anatipenella Hübner, 1796. Samml. Europ. Schmett. 8: pl. 27 fig. 186.
Tinea bernoulliella
Goeze, 1783
Coleophora anatipenella
(Hübner, 1796).


Leaf-miner and case-bearer: The early case is tiny and the larva makes a series of tiny holes on the leaf. After overwintering it makes a shiny pistol shaped case in spring and window feeds (British leafminers).

The young larva, before hibernation, makes tiny mines, sometimes tens in one leaf. After hibernation window feeding is done. In this latter stage the larva lives in a shining black pistol case of about 7 mm, that, with a mouth angle of 70°-80°, stands almost perpendicular on the leaf (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).

Described by Emmet et al. (1996a); three pairs of abdominal prolegs (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:

Rosaceae        
Crataegus       British leafminers
Crataegus       Pitkin & Plant
Crataegus       UKMoths
Malus       British leafminers
Malus       Pitkin & Plant
Malus       UKMoths
Prunus avium Wild Cherry British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. British leafminers
Prunus avium Wild Cherry British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Pitkin & Plant
Prunus spinosa Blackthorn British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. British leafminers
Prunus spinosa Blackthorn British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Pitkin & Plant
Prunus spinosa Blackthorn British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. UKMoths
Pyrus communis Pear   British leafminers
Pyrus communis Pear   Pitkin & Plant
Sorbus aucuparia Rowan British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. British leafminers
Sorbus aucuparia Rowan British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Pitkin & Plant
Tiliaceae        
Tilia       Pitkin & Plant

Hosts elsewhere:

Betulaceae        
Alnus       Belgian Lepidoptera
Alnus glutinosa Alder British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa
Betula       Belgian Lepidoptera
Betula       Bladmineerders van Europa
Carpinus       Belgian Lepidoptera
Carpinus betulus Hornbeam British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa
Corylus       Belgian Lepidoptera
Corylus avellana Hazel British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa
Cornaceae        
Cornus sanguinea Dogwood British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa
Fagaceae        
Castanea sativa Sweet Chestnut British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa
Quercus       Belgian Lepidoptera
Quercus       Bladmineerders van Europa
Rosaceae        
Crataegus       Belgian Lepidoptera
Crataegus       Bladmineerders van Europa
Malus       Belgian Lepidoptera
Malus sylvestris Crab Apple British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa
Prunus       Belgian Lepidoptera
Prunus avium Wild Cherry British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Belgian Lepidoptera
Prunus avium Wild Cherry British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa
Prunus cerasifera     Bladmineerders van Europa
Prunus spinosa Blackthorn British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Belgian Lepidoptera
Prunus spinosa Blackthorn British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa
Pyrus communis Pear   Bladmineerders van Europa
Sorbus       Belgian Lepidoptera
Sorbus aucuparia Rowan British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa
Salicaceae        
Salix       Belgian Lepidoptera
Salix       Bladmineerders van Europa
Tiliaceae        
Tilia       Bladmineerders van Europa

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

Time of year - adults: June and July (UKMoths).

Distribution in Great Britain and Ireland: Occurs in England and Wales, commoner in the south (UKMoths) including Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire, Cheshire, Denbighshire, Dorset, Durham, East Cornwall, East Norfolk, East Suffolk, Glamorgan, Herefordshire, Huntingdonshire, Isle of Wight, Leicestershire, Middlesex, North Essex, North Somerset, Northamptonshire, Shropshire, Stafford, Surrey, West Gloucestershire, West Kent, West Norfolk and West Suffolk (NBN Atlas).

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

Distribution elsewhere: Widespread in continental Europe including Albania, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Danish mainland, Estonia, Finland, French mainland, Germany, Greek mainland, Hungary, Italian mainland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norwegian mainland, Poland, Romania, Russia - Central and South, Sicily, Slovakia, Spanish mainland, Sweden, Switzerland and The Netherlands (Fauna Europaea).

NBN Atlas links to known host species:

Alnus glutinosa, Carpinus betulus, Castanea sativa, Cornus sanguinea, Corylus avellana, Malus sylvestris, Prunus avium, Prunus cerasifera, Prunus spinosa, Pyrus communis, Sorbus aucuparia

British and Irish Parasitoids in Britain and elsewhere:

Chalcidoidea  
Copidosoma peticus (Walker, 1846) Encyrtidae: Encyrtinae
Ichneumonoidea - Links to species no longer available  
Therophilus mediator (Nees, 1814) Braconidae: Agathidinae
Chelonus oculator (Fabricius, 1785) Braconidae: Cheloninae
Dolichogenidea breviventris (Ratzeburg, 1848) Braconidae: Microgastrinae
Dolichogenidea dilecta (Haliday, 1834) Braconidae: Microgastrinae
Campoplex jaeckhi (Bauer, 1936) Ichneumonidae: Campopleginae
Diadegma latungulum (Thomson, 1887) Ichneumonidae: Campopleginae
Gelis areator (Panzer, 1804) Ichneumonidae: Cryptinae
Gelis cinctus (Linnaeus, 1758) 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 12-Jul-2019  Brian Pitkin Top of page