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 potentillae Elisha, 1885
[Lepidoptera: Coleophoridae]

Shaded Case-bearer

Coleophora potentillae Elisha, 1885. Ent. mon. Mag. 21: 254.

Leaf-miner and case-bearer: The case resembles that of C. violacea, but does not lie so flat again the leaf as this species (having a mouth angle of 30 to 50°). C. violacea also has a case which bulges in the middle, whereas in C. potentillae the case tapers towards the posterior (British leafminers).

Immediately after emergence the larva makes a full depth, quickly widening, corridor, with frass as small grains in a broad central band. Finally results a blotch of 2 x 5 mm, from which the youth case is cut. The fully developed case is a hairy, greyish brown to silver grey lobe case of about 1 cm long, with a clearly laterally compressed end; the mouth angle is about 90°. The case is difficult to separate from that of C. ochripennella (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).

The larva is illustrated in 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:

Betulaceae      
Betula       British leafminers
Betula       Pitkin & Plant
Rosaceae        
Agrimonia       British leafminers
Agrimonia       Pitkin & Plant
Crataegus       British leafminers
Crataegus       Pitkin & Plant
Filipendula ulmaria Meadowsweet British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. British leafminers
Filipendula ulmaria Meadowsweet British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Pitkin & Plant
Fragaria vesca Wild Strawberry British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. British leafminers
Fragaria vesca Wild Strawberry British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Pitkin & Plant
Geum       British leafminers
Geum       Pitkin & Plant
Helianthemum       British leafminers
Helianthemum nummularium Common Rock-rose British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Pitkin & Plant
Potentilla       British leafminers
Potentilla       Pitkin & Plant
Prunus spinosa Blackthorn British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. British leafminers
Prunus spinosa Blackthorn British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Pitkin & Plant
Rosa       British leafminers
Rosa       Pitkin & Plant
Rubus   A bramble   British leafminers
Rubus caesius Dewberry British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Pitkin & Plant
Rubus fruticosus Bramble / Blackberry British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Pitkin & Plant
Salicaceae        
Salix cinerea Grey Willow British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Pitkin & Plant

Hosts elsewhere:

Betulaceae        
Betula       Belgian Lepidoptera
Betula       Bladmineerders van Europa
Grossulariaceae        
Ribes       Belgian Lepidoptera
Ribes       Bladmineerders van Europa
Rosaceae        
Agrimonia       Belgian Lepidoptera
Agrimonia       Bladmineerders van Europa
Filipendula       Belgian Lepidoptera
Filipendula ulmaria Meadowsweet British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa
Fragaria       Belgian Lepidoptera
Fragaria vesca Wild Strawberry British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa
Geum       Belgian Lepidoptera
Geum       Bladmineerders van Europa
Helianthemum       Belgian Lepidoptera
Helianthemum nummularium Common Rock-rose British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa
Malus       Belgian Lepidoptera
Malus sylvestris Crab Apple British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa
Potentilla       Belgian Lepidoptera
Potentilla       Bladmineerders van Europa
Prunus       Belgian Lepidoptera
Prunus       Bladmineerders van Europa
Rosa       Belgian Lepidoptera
Rosa       Bladmineerders van Europa
Rubus       Belgian Lepidoptera
Rubus       Bladmineerders van Europa
Rubus fruticosus Bramble / Blackberry British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Belgian Lepidoptera
Sanguisorba       Belgian Lepidoptera
Sanguisorba       Bladmineerders van Europa
Spiraea       Belgian Lepidoptera
Spiraea       Bladmineerders van Europa
Salicaceae        
Salix       Belgian Lepidoptera
Salix cinerea Grey Willow British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa

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

Time of year - adults: Currently unknown.

Distribution in Great Britain and Ireland: Britain including Northampton (Bozeat, Horn Wood) (British leafminers); Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Dorset, East Cornwall, East Kent, East Suffolk, East Sussex, Herefordshire, Hertfordshire, Huntingdonshire, North Hampshire, North Somerset, Nottinghamshire, South Hampshire, South-west Yorkshire, Surrey and West Gloucester and West Norfolk (NBN Atlas).

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

Distribution elsewhere: Widespread in continental Europe including Belgium, Czech Republic, Danish mainland, Estonia, Finland, French mainland, ? Germany, Latvia, Norwegian mainland, Poland, Sweden and the Netherlands (Fauna Europaea).

NBN Atlas links to known host species:

Filipendula ulmaria, Fragaria vesca, Helianthemum nummularium, Malus sylvestris, Prunus spinosa, Rubus caesius, Rubus fruticosus, Salix cinerea

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 19-May-2019  Brian Pitkin Top of page