Case of Coleophora ibipennella on Quercus robur Image: Willem Ellis (Bladmineerders van Europa)

Leaf-miner and case-bearer: The larva builds a distinctive 'pistol-case' with a 'handle' of pale greyish silk (UKMoths).

The full grown larva in a black pistol case of 7 mm long. The mouth angle is c. 80°. From the rear end a grey silken cloak (pallium) hangs down to almost halfway the mouth (Bladmineerders van Europa).

The case is also illustrated in the Encyclopedia of Life.

Larva: Details unknown.

Pupa: Details unknown.

Adult: The adult is illustrated in UKMoths (by Rob Edmunds) and the Encyclopedia of Life. The male and female genitalia are illustrated by the Lepidopera Dissection Group.

Hosts in Britain:

Hosts elsewhere:

Time of year - larvae: September to October, feeding again from April to May or mid-June (British leafminers).

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

Distribution in Great Britain and Ireland: Widespread in England, including Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, East Kent, East Suffolk, Herefordshire, Hertfordshire, Middlesex, North Essex, North Hampshire, North Somerset, Northamptonshire, South Essex, South Wiltshire, Surrey, West Gloucestershire, West Kent, West Norfolk, West Suffolk and Worcestershire (NBN Gateway - N.B. includes Watsonian Vice Counties having publicly available records that fall within or overlap the vice county border at 10km resolution or better i.e. a record for a vice county may relate to an adjacent vice county - for included datasets see NBN Grid map below).

Confusion over its distribution is compounded by the fact that this species was formerly known as Coleophora ardeaepennella and the fact that Coleophora betullela on Betula has been misidentified as Coleophora ibipennella (UKMoths).

NBN Grid map: Note that not all datasets on the NBN Gateway may be available on the map below. If you are an NBN Gateway registered user you can request access for missing datasets via the link 'Open interactive map in new window' below.

Distribution elsewhere: Widespread in continental Europe including Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Czech Republic, Danish mainland, Estonia, French mainland, Germany, Greek mainland, Hungary, Italian mainland, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Norwegian mainland, Poland, Portuguese mainland, Romania, Russia - South, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spanish mainland, Sweden, Switzerland, The Netherlands and Yugoslavia. Also recorded in Near East and North Afroca (Karsholt and van Nieukerken in Fauna Europaea).

NBN interactive distribution map(s) of known host species in Great Britain and Ireland and elsewhere:

Parasitoids in Britain and elsewhere: Unknown.