Coleophora flaviella Mann, 1857

on Coronilla, Securigera

case

The young larva lives, not in a case, within a pod and feeds on the seeds. Somewhat later the larva sits on the outside, in a tubular silken case that is wrapped in a leaf fragment; seeds are now consumed through a hole in the wall of the pod. The youth case is than vacated and the larva makes a new, white, later brown, trivalved silke tube again wrapped in a single leaf fragment. The leaf fragment covers the tube only partially; it moreovers wears and becomes difficult to recognise in the end. The mouth angle is about 10°.

The above is a strongly abridged summary of an extensive description by Rönniger (1948a). However, both Hering (1957a) and Suire (1961a) write that the case is a dark brown, 3-valved, tubular leaf case, resembling a dead leaf, and that only in a late stage the larvae start feeding on the developing seeds.

host plants

Fabaceae, narrowly oligophagous

Coronilla coronata, juncea, minima, vaginalis; Securigera varia.

phenology

Larvae till June.

BENELUX

Not known from the Benelux countries (Fauna Europaea, 2010).

distribution within Europe

From Germany to the Iberian Peninsula, Sicily, and Greece, and from France to Romania (Fauna Europaea, 2010).

references

Baldizzone (1981a, 1983c), Baldizzone, Bella & Russo (1999a), Baldizzone & Luquet (1981a), Baldizzone, Tokár, Kovács & Kovács (2004a), Hausenblas (2007a), Hering (1957a), Kasy (1987a), Nel (1992b,c, 2002a), Rönniger (1948a, 1955a), Schmid (2011a), Suire (1961a).