Coleophora saponariella Heeger, 1848

Saponaria officinalis, Romania, Danube delta, Tulcea distr., Sulina © Camelia Ureche

case

Saponaria officinalis, Vlodrop-Station; © Arnold Schreurs

Coleophora saponariella: larva in its case

Saponaria officinalis, Vlodrop-Station; © Frans Groenen

Coleophora saponariella: initial gallery

Saponaria officinalis, Belgium, prov. Namur, Viroinval, Vierves-sur-Viroin © Stéphane Claerebout: initial gallery

case

Saponaria officinalis, Belgium, prov. Namur, Olloy, Tienne du Moulin © Stéphane Claerebout: old case

Coleophora saponariella: young mine on Saponaria officinalis

Saponaria officinalis, Belgium, prov. Namur, Rochefort: early mine; © Jean-Yves Baugnée

young case

Coleophora saponariella case

from Toll (1962a)

case

The young larva at first makes an upper-surface, later full depth corridor, out of which the first case is cut. The definite case is an almost straight, trivalved tubular silken case. Its length is 7 mm (Hering, 1957a), 8-10 mm according to Suire (1961a). Mouth angle 70-80°. The case is ash grey with blackish length lines. The case depicted by Toll is entirely smooth, but Schütze (1931a) writes that towards the mouth the surface is granular.

host plants

Caryophyllaceae, monophagous

Saponaria officinalis.

According to Suire (1961a) also on Saponaria ocymoides.

phenology

Larvae from September till May (Hering, 1957a). Statements in the literature that the species were to continue feeding after hibernation, are incorrect (Patzak, 1974a).

BENELUX

Recently found in Belgium (Snyers ao, 2013a) and the Netherlands.

distribution within Europe

From Sweden to Portugal and Italy, and from France to Poland and Romania (Corley, Marabuto & Pires, 2007a; Fauna Europaea, 2009).

notes

Often very numerous (Hering, 1957a; Kayser 2011a).

references

Baldizzone (1979a), Beiger (1980a), Biesenbaum & van der Wolf (1999a), Corley, Marabuto, Maravalhas ao (2009a), Corley, Marabuto & Pires (2007a), Corley, Rosete, Romão ao (2015a), Hering (1932g, 1957a), Huber (1969a), Kayser (2011a), Klimesch (1950c, 1958c), Maček (1999a), Nel (1992b,c), Nowakowski (1954a), Patzak (1974a), Popescu-Gorj & Drăghia (1966a), De Prins, Steeman & Sierens (2015a), Razowski (1990a), Roweck & Savenkov (2013a), Schütze (1931a), Skala (1951a), Skala & Zavřel (1945a), Snyers, De Prins, Baugnée & Vereecken (2013a), Stammer (2016a), Steeman & Sierens (2019a), Suire (1961a), Szőcs (1977a, 1981a), Toll (1952a, 1962a), Ureche (2010a), Wullaert (2017a), Zoerner (1969a).