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 chalcogrammella Zeller, 1839
[Lepidoptera: Coleophoridae]


Coleophora chalcogrammella Zeller, 1839.


Leaf-miner and case-bearer: In autumn the larva makes a short corridor, that widens into a small blotch, out of which the first case is cut. The final case, after hibernation, is a brown, tubular silken case, three-valved, c. 6 cm long, with a mouth angle of about 30° (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).

Described by 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:

Caryophyllaceae        
Cerastium arvense Field Mouse-ear British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Pitkin & Plant
Stellaria graminea Lesser Stitchwort British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Pitkin & Plant

Hosts elsewhere:

Caryophyllaceae        
Arenaria serpyllifolia Slender Sandwort   Bladmineerders van Europa
Cerastium arvense Field Mouse-ear British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa
Moehringia trinervia Three-nerved Sandwort British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa
Stellaria graminea Lesser Stitchwort British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa
Stellaria holostea Greater Stitchwort British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa

Time of year - larvae: May (Emmet et al., 1996a).

Time of year - adults: Currently unknown.

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

Distribution elsewhere: Widespread in continental Europe including Czech Republic, Danish mainland, French mainland, Germany, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Russia - North, Slovakia, Sweden and The Netherlands (Fauna Europaea).

NBN Atlas links to known host species:

Arenaria serpyllifolia, Cerastium arvense, Moehringia trinervia, Stellaria graminea, Stellaria holostea

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 15-May-2019  Brian Pitkin Top of page