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 conyzae Zeller, 1868
[Lepidoptera: Coleophoridae]

Spikenard Case-bearer

Coleophora conyzae Zeller, 1868. Verh. zool-bot. Ges. Wien. 5: 623.

Leaf-miner and case-bearer: The larva makes at least two cases and leaves the empty case by the cut out leaf section. The early cases are compressed with keels, dorsally and laterally. Later cases are more tubular and hairy (from the hairy leaves, used to make the case) (British leafminers).

Larva in a spathulate leaf case. It is 10-12 mm long, straght, brown, tubular, patently hairy (depending on the hostplant), bivalved. The mouth angle is rather variable, usually around 45°. An unusual character of this species is that after each moult the larva makes a new case; the old, vacated case is left at the place where the new one is made, at the leaf margin (Bladmineerders van Europa).

The case is illustrated in UKMoths.

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 illustrated in UKMoths. The species is included in mothdissection.co.uk.

Hosts in Great Britain and Ireland:

Asteraceae        
Eupatorium cannabinum Hemp-agrimony British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. British leafminers
Eupatorium cannabinum Hemp-agrimony British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Pitkin & Plant
Inula conyzae Ploughman's-spikenard British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. British leafminers
Inula conyzae Ploughman's-spikenard British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Pitkin & Plant
Inula conyzae Ploughman's-spikenard British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. UKMoths
Pulicaria dysenterica Common Fleabane British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. British leafminers
Pulicaria dysenterica Common Fleabane British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Pitkin & Plant
Pulicaria dysenterica Common Fleabane British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. UKMoths

Hosts elsewhere:

Asteraceae        
Eupatorium cannabinum Hemp-agrimony British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Belgian Lepidoptera
Eupatorium cannabinum Hemp-agrimony British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa
Inula conyzae Ploughman's-spikenard British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Belgian Lepidoptera
Inula conyzae Ploughman's-spikenard British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa
Pulicaria dysenterica Common Fleabane British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa
Pulicaria dysenterica Common Fleabane British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Belgian Lepidoptera

Time of year - larvae: September - May (British leafminers).

Time of year - adults: June and July (UKMoths).

Distribution in Great Britain and Ireland: Mainly distributed in southern England and Wales (UKMoths) including Bedfordshire, East Gloucestershire, East Kent, East Suffolk, Glamorgan, North Somerset, Pembrokeshire, South Devon, South Essex, South Hampshire, South Wiltshire, Surrey and West Kent (NBN Atlas). A colony has also been located in York, so it may occur elsewhere (UKMoths).

Distribution elsewhere: Widespread in continental Europe including Albania, Austria, Corsica, Crete, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, French mainland, Greek mainland, Hungary, Italian mainland, Latvia, Malta, North Aegean Is., Poland, Portuguese mainland, Romania, Sardinia, Sicily, Slovakia, Spanish mainland, Sweden, Switzerland and The Netherlands (Fauna Europaea).

NBN Atlas links to known host species:

Eupatorium cannabinum, Inula conyza, Pulicaria dysenterica

British and Irish Parasitoids in Britain and elsewhere:

Ichneumonoidea - Links to species no longer available  
Agathis breviseta Nees, 1812 Braconidae: Agathidinae
Agathis fuscipennis (Zetterstedt, 1838) Braconidae: Agathidinae

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 11-Jul-2019  Brian Pitkin Top of page