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 lineolea (Haworth, 1828)
[Lepidoptera: Coleophoridae]

Woundwort Case-bearer

Porrectaria lineolea Haworth, 1828. Lep. Brit.: 534.
Coleophora lineolea (Haworth, 1828).

Leaf-miner and case-bearer: The mines are large and obvious on the upper side of the leaf, betraying the larva or larvae on the lower side (UKMoths).

Cases are broad and flat - being very hairy from the texture of the leaf (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 in a blotch of 2 x 5 mm, from which the young case is cut. The fully developed case is a hairy, greyish brown to silver grey lobe case 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).

The case is illustrated in the Encyclopedia of Life.

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.

Coleophora lineolea larva, dorsal
Coleophora lineolea larva, dorsal
Image: © Willem Ellis (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 illustrated in UKMoths. The species is included in mothdissection.co.uk.

Comments: Stachys officinalis is treated as Betonica officinalis (Betony) by Stace (2010).

Hosts in Great Britain and Ireland:

Lamiaceae        
Ballota nigra Black Horehound British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. British leafminers
Ballota nigra Black Horehound British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Pitkin & Plant
Lamium       Pitkin & Plant
Marrubium vulgare White Horehound British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. British leafminers
Marrubium vulgare White Horehound British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Pitkin & Plant
Stachys byzantina Lamb's-ear British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al.

British leafminers, as Stachyas lanata
Stachys byzantina Lamb's-ear British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Pitkin & Plant, as Stachyas lanata
Stachys officinalis Betony British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. British leafminers
Stachys officinalis Betony British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Pitkin & Plant
Stachys sylvatica Hedge Woundwort British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. British leafminers
Stachys sylvatica Hedge Woundwort British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Pitkin & Plant

Hosts elsewhere:

Lamiaceae        
Ballota nigra Black Horehound British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Belgian Lepidoptera
Ballota nigra Black Horehound British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa
Betonica officinalis      
Lamium       Bladmineerders van Europa
Marrubium vulgare White Horehound British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Belgian Lepidoptera
Marrubium vulgare White Horehound British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa
Phlomis       Bladmineerders van Europa
Stachys       Belgian Lepidoptera
Stachys alopecuros     Bladmineerders van Europa
Stachys byzantina Lamb's-ear British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa
Stachys lanata     Belgian Lepidoptera
Stachys officinalis Betony British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa
Stachys recta Perennial Yellow-woundwort British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa
Stachys sylvatica Hedge Woundwort British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Belgian Lepidoptera
Stachys sylvatica Hedge Woundwort British Wild Flowers by John Somerville et al. Bladmineerders van Europa

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

Time of year - adults: Flight period is from late June to August, sometimes coming to light (UKMoths).

Distribution in Great Britain and Ireland: The species is common in southern England and Wales, but it becomes scarce and local in Chester and from south York to the northern limit of England (UKMoths); including Bedfordshire, Caernarvonshire, Cambridgeshire, Denbighshire, Dorset, Durham, East Cornwall, East Kent, East Norfolk, East Suffolk, Flintshire, Glamorgan, Herefordshire, Hertfordshire, Huntingdonshire, Isle of Wight, Leicestershire, Middlesex, North Essex, North Hampshire, North Somerset, Nottinghamshire, Shropshire, South Devon, South Northumberland, South-west Yorkshire, Surrey, West Cornwall, West Gloucestershire, West Norfolk, West Suffolk and Worcestershire (NBN Atlas).

Distribution elsewhere: Widespread in continental Europe including Austria, Belgium, Crete, Croatia, Czech Republic, Danish mainland, Estonia, French mainland, Germany, Greek mainland, Hungary, Italian mainland, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, North Aegean Is., Poland, Romania, Russia - Central, Sicily, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spanish mainland, Sweden, Switzerland and The Netherlands. Also East Palaearctic and North Africa (Fauna Europaea).

NBN Atlas links to known host species:

Ballota nigra, Marrubium vulgare, Stachys byzantina, Stachys officinalis, Stachys recta, Stachys sylvatica

British and Irish Parasitoids in Britain and elsewhere:

Ichneumonoidea - Links to species no longer available  
Campoletis femoralis (Gravenhorst, 1829) Ichneumonidae: Campopleginae
Gelis agilis (Fabricius, 1775) Ichneumonidae: Cryptinae
Scambus buolianae (Hartig, 1838) Ichneumonidae: Pimplinae

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