Coleophora adjunctella [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 adjunctella Hodgkinson, 1882
[Lepidoptera: Coleophoridae]

Saltern-rush Case-bearer

Coleophora adjunctella Hodgkinson, 1882.

Seed-feeder and case-bearer: The larva feeds internally on the seeds and then forms a case which consists of a seed capsule British leafminers.

Case of Coleophora adjunctella on Juncus
Image: © Rob Edmunds (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 not illustrated in UKMoths (check for update). The species is included in mothdissection.co.uk.

Hosts in Great Britain and Ireland:

Juncaceae
Juncus	gerardii	Saltmarsh Rush		British leafminers

Hosts elsewhere:

Juncaceae
Juncus	gerardii	Saltmarsh Rush		Belgian Lepidoptera

Time of year - larvae: Currently unknown.

Time of year - adults: Currently unknown.

Distribution in Great Britain and Ireland: Widespread in Britain including Anglesey, Cardiganshire, Carmarthenshire, Denbighshire, Dorset, East Cornwall, East Suffolk, Flintshire, Glamorgan, Haddington, Isle of Wight, North Essex and Pembrokeshire, South-east Yorkshire, West Cornwall and Wigtownshire (NBN Atlas). Also Hayling Island, Hampshire (British leafminers).

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

Distribution elsewhere: Widespread in continental Europe including Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Danish mainland, Estonia, Finland, French mainland, Germany, Hungary, Italian mainland, Latvia, Norwegian mainland, Poland, Romania, Russia - North and South, Sardinia, Slovakia, Sweden, The Netherlands, and Ukraine (Fauna Europaea).

Also recorded in the East Palaearctic and Near East (Fauna Europaea).

NBN Atlas links to known host species:

Juncus gerardii

British and Irish Parasitoids in Britain and elsewhere:

Ichneumonoidea - Links to species no longer available
Agathis anglica Marshall, 1885	Braconidae: Agathidinae
Scambus brevicornis (Gravenhorst, 1829)	Ichneumonidae: Pimplinae


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 11-Jul-2019 Brian Pitkin