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Coleophora serratella (Linnaeus, 1761) [Lepidoptera: Coleophoridae] Tinea serratella Linnaeus, 1761. Fauna suecica: 369. Coleophora serratella (Linnaeus, 1761)

Leaf-mine: The larva feeds by inserting its head into small mines it creates on the leaves of birch, elm, alder, or hazel. Occasionally it is found feeding on other trees, or on herbaceous plants onto which it has accidentally fallen. It forms two cases during its larval life. The first case is initially curved, smooth, laterally compressed with a bivalved anal opening, and about 2mm long in September. During October it feeds, and adds a few rough collars of larval material around the oral opening. After hibernation, it feeds again in April and early May, adding more protruding collars until they equal or exceed the original smooth part of the case. At the same time, it expands the case girth by the creation of a silk gusset ventrally. The second case, 6 or 7 mm long, is formed in May, leaving the vacated first case attached to its last feeding mine. The new case is tubular with a trivalved crimp at the anal opening. The dorsum is formed from the edge of the leaf from which the case was cut. This results in a more or less serrated dorsal keel, depending on the plant species and the individual piece of leaf used. Considerable variation in the degree of serration can be found, even among specimens off the same tree. The case colour varies with food plant, from yellowish brown on birch, darkening through elm and hazel to dark brown on alder (UKMoths). Larva: The larva is illustrated in Nederlandse bladmineerders. Pupa: Pupation is in the larval case fixed to the upper surface of a leaf in a sunny situation. Sometimes pupation is on plants other than those fed on (UKMoths). Hosts in Britain: Betulaceae       Alnus     Plant, in Pitkin & Plant, 2005 Alnus     British leafminers Alnus     UKMoths Betula     Plant, in Pitkin & Plant, 2005 Betula     British leafminers Betula     UKMoths Carpinus betulus Hornbeam Plant, in Pitkin & Plant, 2005 Corylus     Plant, in Pitkin & Plant, 2005 Corylus     British leafminers Corylus     UKMoths Rosaceae       Sorbus aria Common Whitebeam Plant, in Pitkin & Plant, 2005 Sorbus aucuparia Rowan Plant, in Pitkin & Plant, 2005 Salicaceae     UKMoths Salix     Plant, in Pitkin & Plant, 2005 Ulmaceae       Ulmus     British leafminers Ulmus     UKMoths Hosts elsewhere: Betulaceae       Alnus glutinosa   Nederlandse bladmineerders Alnus incana   Nederlandse bladmineerders Betula     Nederlandse bladmineerders Carpinus betulus Hornbeam Nederlandse bladmineerders Corylus avellana Hazel Nederlandse bladmineerders Mespilus germanica Medlar Nederlandse bladmineerders Grossulariaceae       Ribes     Hering, 1957a Myricaceae       Myrica gale Bog-myrtle Nederlandse bladmineerders Rosaceae       Chaenomeles     Nederlandse bladmineerders Malus sylvestris Crab Apple Nederlandse bladmineerders Ulmaceae       Ulmus     Nederlandse bladmineerders Time of year - mines: Late September to late October, then May to early June (British leafminers; UKMoths). Time of year - adults: June (UKMoths). Distribution in Britain: This is probably the commonest species of British Coleophorid, and is found throughout the British Isles (UKMoths) including Banff, East Cornwall, East Gloucester, East Kent, East Norfolk, East Sutherland, Easterness, Edinburgh, Elgin, Hunts, Kincardine, Kirkudbright, Lanark, North Aberdeen, North Devon, North Ebudes, North Hants, Northampton, Notts, South Aberdeen, South Devon, South Lancaster, South-west York, Surrey, West Gloucester, West Lancaster (NBN Gateway distribution map - BRERC, DBRC, GiGL, HBRG, JNCC, LWIC, NE, NESBRC, SNH and SHWRG) and the Channel Is., Northern Ireland and Ireland (Karsholt & van Nieukerken in Fauna Europaea). Distribution elsewhere: Widespread in Europe including Austria, Balearic Is., Belgium, Croatia, Czech Republic, Danish mainland, Estonia, ? Faroe Is., Finland, French mainland, Germany, Hungary, Italian mainland, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Norwegian mainland, Poland, Portuguese mainland, Romania, Russia - Central, North and South, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spanish mainland, Sweden, Switzerland and The Netherlands. Also recorded in the East Palaearctic, Near East and Nearctic region (Karsholt & van Nieukerken in Fauna Europaea). Parasitoids: Closterocerus trifasciatus Westwood, 1833 Hymenoptera: Eulophidae

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British leafminers NBN Gateway Nederlandse bladmineerders Fauna Europaea [288625] UKMoths	Find using Google Find using Google Scholar Find images using Google

Last updated 25-Aug-2008  Brian Pitkin