The leaf and stem  mines of British flies and other insects by Brian Pitkin, Willem Ellis, Colin Plant and Rob Edmunds


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Coleophora alnifoliae Barasch, 1934
[Lepidoptera: Coleophoridae]


Coleophora alnifoliae Barasch, 1934. Dtsch. ent. Ztg.: 36.


Leaf-mine: The larva creates a succession of cases, in this instance fashioned from parts of a leaf. The final case is 11-13mm long, slender, and fixed at 45° to the leaf surface, with anal end laterally compressed and bivalved (British leafminers). The species overwinters in one of these cases, in some populations twice before emerging as an adult (UKMoths).

Larva: The larva is illustrated in Nederlandse bladmineerders. The case is illustrated in UKMoths, British leafminers and Nederlandse bladmineerders

Pupa: Details unknown.

Hosts in Britain:

Betulaceae      
Alnus     Plant, in Pitkin & Plant, 2005
Alnus     UKMoths
Alnus glutinosa Alder British leafminers

Hosts elsewhere:

Betulaceae      
Alnus glutinosa Alder Nederlandse bladmineerders
Alnus incana Grey Alder Nederlandse bladmineerders

Time of year - mines: Probably from September (early feeding not recorded) to November, feeding again from late May to June or July. There is also a biennial population, which aestivates and completes feeding in June or July of the second year (British leafminers).

Time of year - adults: Mainly in July and August. Some populations only produce adults every two years (UKMoths).

Distribution in Britain: A rather local species which is slowly increasing its range. It occurs in scattered colonies in central and southern England, but also occasionally elsewhere (UKMoths) including East Kent, Hereford, West Gloucester and Worcester (NBN Gateway distribution map - JNCC and NE).

Distribution elsewhere: Widespread in Europe including Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Danish mainland, Estonia, Finland, French mainland, Italian mainland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norwegian mainland, Poland, Romania, Sardinia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Swede, Switzerland and The Netherlnds (Karsholt & van Nieukerken in Fauna Europaea).

Parasitoids: Unknown.



External links: Search the internet:

British leafminers
NBN Gateway
Nederlandse bladmineerders
Fauna Europaea
[288659]
UKMoths

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Last updated 21-Aug-2008  Brian Pitkin