Coleophora ornatipennella (Hübner, 1796) Species
Last modified: Jan. 20, 2024, 3:02 p.m.
A very rarely seen species in Belgium.
Details
- Classification
- Family: Coleophoridae > Genus: Coleophora > Species: Coleophora ornatipennella
- Vernacular names
- Graskokermot (NL), Knäuelgras-Sackmotte (DE)
- First mention in Belgium
- De Sélys-Longchamps E. 1844. Énumération des insectes Lépidoptères de la Belgique. — Mémoires de la Société royale des Sciences de Liége 2: 1–35. On page 25. view page
- Status
-
Native
Distribution
Imago
Wingspan: 21–25 mm.
The fore wings are ochreous yellow with little black dots all over the wing.
The wings are sickle shaped, there are also many light longitudinal lines.
The antennae are thickened at the base.
See also bladmineerders.be.
Museum specimens
No pictures yet!Specimens in nature
Caterpillar
Caterpillars are not distinguishable of those of Coleophora lixella due to many misidentifications in the past.
Case
The case is flattened, at first whitish yellow changing rather quickly to brown.
Cases are 13–17 mm.
The mouth angle is about 30°.
Bionomics
Young larvae live on several species of Lamiaceae, making their first case from the leaves. At first they eat flowers and seeds of the food plant. Just before winter they switch to grasses, mining them.
Larvae live from October till May.
There has been a big confusion with Coleophora lixella; therefore all the information in the old literature should be treated with caution.
Flight periods
The adults fly in one generation a year from May till July.
Observed on
- Host plant (genera):
- Lamium, Salvia, Thymus, Poa, Anthoxanthum, Bromus, Dactylis, Holcus and Koeleria
- Substrates:
- Herbaceous plants
When young, they are to be found on Lamiaceae. Later on they change to grasses.
