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 siccifolia Stainton, 1856
[Lepidoptera: Coleophoridae]

Grey Birch Case-bearer


Coleophora siccifolia Stainton, 1856. Entomol. Ann.: 37.


Leaf-miner and case-bearer: Tubular leaf case. The case is almost barrel-shaped, with a large leaf fragment that, while withering, folds itself untidily arround the tube (Bladmineerders van Europa).

A biennial life cycle in the UK (may be annual in Europe). The second and third cases are formed by cutting out a large leaf portion and then wrapping it around - leaving an edge protruding, which then withers (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).

Only three pairs of abdominal prolegs (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 not illustrated in UKMoths (check for update). The species is included in mothdissection.co.uk.

Hosts in Great Britain and Ireland:

Betulaceae        
Betula       Pitkin & Plant
Betula       British leafminers
Rosaceae        
Crataegus       British leafminers
Crataegus       Pitkin & Plant
Malus       Pitkin & Plant
Malus sylvestris Crab Apple   British leafminers
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

Hosts elsewhere:

Betulaceae        
Alnus       Belgian Lepidoptera
Alnus       Bladmineerders van Europa
Betula       Belgian Lepidoptera
Betula lutea     Bladmineerders van Europa
Carpinus       Belgian Lepidoptera
Carpinus betulus Hornbeam British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa
Crataegus       Belgian Lepidoptera
Crataegus laevigata Midland Hawthorn British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa
Rosaceae        
Malus       Belgian Lepidoptera
Malus pumila Apple British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al.

Bladmineerders van Europa, as Malus domestica

Sorbus aucuparia Rowan British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Belgian Lepidoptera
Sorbus aucuparia Rowan British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa
Tiliaceae        
Tilia       Belgian Lepidoptera
Tilia       Bladmineerders van Europa

Time of year - larvae: September - August (British leafminers). Larvae are full-fed in Britain at the end of August, but continental authors write October (Bladmineerders van Europa).

Time of year - adults: Currently unknown.

Distribution in Great Britain and Ireland: Britain including Bedfordshire, Breconshire, Caernarvonshire, Cambridgeshire, Cardiganshire, Denbighshire, Dorset, East Kent, East Norfolk, East Suffolk, Herefordshire, Huntingdonshire, Merionethshire, North Essex, North Hampshire, North Somerset, North-east Yorkshire, Shropshire, Stafford, Surrey and West Norfolk (NBN Atlas).

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

Distribution elsewhere: Widespread in continental Europe including Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Danish mainland, Estonia, Finland, French mainland, Germany, Hungary, Italian mainland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norwegian mainland, Poland, Russia - South, Slovakia, Spanish mainland, Sweden, Switzerland and The Netherlands. Also recorded in the East Palaearctic (Fauna Europaea).

NBN Atlas links to known host species:

Betula lutea, Carpinus betulus, Crataegus laevigata, Malus pumila, Sorbus aucuparia

British and Irish Parasitoids in Britain and elsewhere: Currently unknown.



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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