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 tricolor Walsingham, 1899
[Lepidoptera: Coleophoridae]

Basil-thyme Case-bearer


Coleophora tricolor Walsingham, 1899. Ent. mon. Mag. 35: 201.


Leaf-miner and case-bearer: The young larva eats the receptacle out of a floret of Acinos arvensis, and uses the calyce as its first case. Even before the onset of winter it switches to grasses. The larva then lives in an ochraceous, bivalved, tubular leaf case of c. 9 mm, with a mouth angle of c. 25° (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 young larva eats the receptacle out of a floret of Acinos arvensis, and uses the calyce as its first case. Even before the onset of winter it switches to grasses. The larva then lives in an ochraceous, bivalved, tubular leaf case of c. 9 mm, with a mouth angle of c. 25° (Bladmineerders van Europa). The case is illustrated in British Leafminers.

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:

Poaceae        
Bromopsis erecta Upright Brome   Pitkin & Plant
Dactylis glomerata Cock's-foot British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Pitkin & Plant
Holcus lanatus Yorkshire-fog British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Pitkin & Plant
Koeleria macrantha Crested Hair-grass British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Pitkin & Plant
Phleum bertolonii Smaller Cat's-tail British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Pitkin & Plant
Poa pratensis Smooth Meadow-grass British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Pitkin & Plant

Hosts elsewhere: Unknown Poaceae. 'No grass species mentioned specifically' (Bladmineerders van Europa).

Time of year - larvae: Currently unknown.

Time of year - adults: Currently unknown.

Distribution in Great Britain and Ireland: Britain including West Norfolk and West Suffolk (NBN Atlas).

Distribution elsewhere: Currently unknown outside Britain (Fauna Europaea).

NBN Atlas links to known host species:

Bromopsis erecta, Dactylis glomerata, Holcus lanatus, Koeleria macrantha, Phleum bertolonii, Poa pratensis

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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Last updated 19-May-2019  Brian Pitkin Top of page