Coleophora discordella Zeller, 1849

lotus case-bearer

Lotus corniculatus, Belgium, prov. Liège, Ben-Ahin, Lovegnée-Bosquet; © Jean-Yves Baugnée

mine and case

Oviposition at the leaf underside, mostly in a vein axil. The larva begins by making a narrow winding corridor with much frass in a broad central line. The corridor reminds that of a nepticulid (but the egg has a finely reticulate surface, unlike the smooth nepticulid egg.) In the end the corridor widens into an oval blotch, usually close to the leaf margin, out of which the first case is made (lower picture).

The full grown larva in a greyish brown composite leaf case of about 6 mm, attached to the underside of a leaf. The oldest quarter of the case is bivalved, laterally compressed, and is at an angle of 70° with the anterior part of the case. The mouth angle is around 40°.

host plants

Fabaceae, monophagous (?)

Lotus corniculatus, creticus, maritimus, pedunculatus, tenuis.

In the literature also Astragalus, Dorycnium rectum, Medicago and Oxytropis are mentioned as hostplants, but this may be erroneous.

Mentioned under the name of C. dorycniella by Hering (1957a) also from Dorycnium; possibly this is based on an erroneous identification of C. congeriella.

phenology

Larvae are full grown around May (Emmet ao, 1996a).

BENELUX

BE recorded (Phegea, 2009).

NE recorded (Kuchlein & de Vos, 1999a; Microlepidoptera.nl, 2009).

LUX recorded (Fauna Europaea, 2009).

distribution within Europe

From Scandinavia and Finland to the Iberian Peninsula, Italy and Greece, and from Ireland to Poland (Fauna Europaea, 2009).

synonyms

Coleophora dorycniella Hartig, 1939.

references

Baldizzone (1979a, 1983c, 1984a, 2004a), Baldizzone & Hartig (1978a), Baldizzone, van der Wolf & Landry (2006a), Biesenbaum & van der Wolf (1999a), Buhr (1935b, 1964a), Compton (1981a), Emmet ao (1996a), Hering (1957a), Huertas Dionisio (2002a, 2007a), Huisman, Koster, van Nieukerken & Ulenberg (2003a), Kaltenbach & Roesler (1985a), Kasy (1965a), Kuchlein & Donner (1993a), Kuchlein & de Vos (1999a), Leutsch (2011a), Michaelis (1983a), Michalska Myssura & Walczak (2010a), Nel (1992b,c), van Nieukerken, Gielis, Huisman, Koster, Kuchlein, van der Wolf & Wolschrijn (1993a), Patzak (1974a), De Prins & Steeman (2011a), De Prins, Steeman & Sierens (2015a), Razowski (1999a), Robbins (1991a), Sønderup (1949a), Suire (1961a), Szőcs (1977a), Toll (1952a, 1962a), Wegner (2010a), Wullaert (2015a), Zoerner (1970a).