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 follicularis (Vallot, 1802)
[Lepidoptera: Coleophoridae]

Agrimony Case-bearer


Tinea follicularis Vallot, 1802
Ornix troglodytella
Duponchel, 1843. Hist. nat. Lep. Fr. Suppl. 4 (Noct.): 304.
Coleophora follicularis
(Vallot, 1802).


Leaf-miner and case-bearer: A slender straw coloured, three valved tubular silken case, about 10 mm long. Mouth angle about 30° (British leafminers).

A slender tubular silken case, about 10 mm long, straw coloured, three valved. Mouth angle about 30° (Bladmineerders van Europa).

Feeding traces are illustrated in the Encyclopedia of Life.

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.

Coleophora folicularis larva,  dorsal
Coleophora folicularis larva, dorsal
Image: © Willem Ellis (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 and the Encyclopedia of Life. The species is included in mothdissection.co.uk.

Hosts in Great Britain and Ireland:

Asteraceae        
Cirsium arvense Creeping Thistle British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Pitkin & Plant
Eupatorium       British leafminers
Eupatorium cannabinum Hemp-agrimony British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Pitkin & Plant
Eupatorium cannabinum Hemp-agrimony British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. UKMoths
Inula conyza Ploughman's-spikenard British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. British leafminers
Inula conyza Ploughman's-spikenard British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Pitkin & Plant
Pulicaria dysenterica Common Fleabane British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. British leafminers
Pulicaria dysenterica Common Fleabane British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Pitkin & Plant
Pulicaria dysenterica Common Fleabane British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. UKMoths

Hosts elsewhere:

Asteraceae        
Achillea       Belgian Lepidoptera
Achillea clavenae     Bladmineerders van Europa
Achillea millefolium Yarrow British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa
Achillea moschata     Bladmineerders van Europa
Anthemis       Belgian Lepidoptera
Anthemis       Bladmineerders van Europa
Carduus       Belgian Lepidoptera
Carduus       Bladmineerders van Europa
Cirsium arvense     Bladmineerders van Europa
Eupatorium cannabinum Hemp-agrimony British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Belgian Lepidoptera
Eupatorium cannabinum Hemp-agrimony British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa
Inula britannica     Bladmineerders van Europa
Inula conyza Ploughman's-spikenard British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa
Inula helenium Elecampane British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa
Leucanthemum       Belgian Lepidoptera
Leucanthemum vulgare Oxeye Daisy British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa, as Chrysanthemum leucanthemum
Pulicaria       Belgian Lepidoptera
Pulicaria dysenterica Common Fleabane British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Belgian Lepidoptera
Pulicaria dysenterica Common Fleabane British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa
Tanacetum       Belgian Lepidoptera

Time of year - larvae: August to September, then May to June when on Inula. July to August, then April to May when on Eupatorium (British leafminers).

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

Distribution in Great Britain and Ireland: Widespread in Britain including Anglesey, Bedfordshire, Caernarvonshire, Cambridgeshire, Cardinganshire, Carmarthenshire, Dorset, East Cornwall, East Kent, East Norfolk, East Suffolk, Glamorgan, Herefordshire, Hertfordshire, Huntingdonshire, Isle of Wight, Middlesex, Montgomeryshire, North Hampshire, North Somerset, Pembrokeshire, Shropshire, South Devon, South Hampshire, South Somerset, Stafford, Surrey, West Cornwall, West Gloucestershire, West Kent and West Norfolk (NBN Atlas).

Prior to 1962 both C. follicularis and C. trochilella were thought to be a single species, C. troglodytella. Consequently, distribution is clouded by older records which are not attributed to one or other of the two species.

Also recorded in the Republic of Ireland (UKMoths and Fauna Europaea). See also Ireland's 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, North Aegean Is., Poland, Romania, Sicily, Slovakia, Spanish mainland, Sweden, Switzerland and The Netherlands. Also recorded in the Near East (Fauna Europaea).

NBN Atlas links to known host species:

Achillea millefolium, Cirsium arvense, Eupatorium cannabinum, Inula britannica, Inula conyza, Inula helenium, Leucanthemum vulgare, Pulicaria dysenterica

British and Irish Parasitoids in Britain and elsewhere:

Chalcidoidea  
Copidosoma peticus (Walker, 1846) Encyrtidae: Encyrtinae
Miotropis unipuncta (Nees, 1834) Eulophidae: Eulophinae
Ichneumonoidea - Links to species no longer available  
Agathis breviseta Nees, 1812 Braconidae: Agathidinae
Agathis fuscipennis (Zetterstedt, 1838) Braconidae: Agathidinae
Earinus gloriatorius (Panzer, 1809) Braconidae: Agathidinae
Therophilus cingulipes (Nees, 1812) Braconidae: Agathidinae
Bracon abbreviator Nees, 1834 Braconidae: Braconinae
Microplitis tuberculifer (Wesmael, 1837) Braconidae: Microgastrinae
Orgilus punctulator (Nees, 1811) Braconidae: Orgilinae


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