Coleophora semicinerea Staudinger, 1859

on Fabaceae

Colutea arborescens (from Baldizzone, 1989c)

Anthyllis vulneraria, zak Malta © Michael Zerafa

case on Lotus edulis.

opened pod Tripodion tetraphyllum with larva feeding on a seed (from Nel, 1994b)

parasite

The young larva devores the ovary of a flower, then uses the calyx (or, in case of a large flower, part of the calyx) in constructing the only case of its life. The mouth opening (angle hoek 20°-30°) is at the side op the peduncle. Within the calyx a trivalved cylindrical case is made from pale cream silk.

hostplants

Fabaceae, oligophagous

Anthyllis vulneraria; Colutea arborescens; Lotus edulis; Tripodion tetraphyllum.

phenology

The larva is full fed around end April (in Malta) and leaves to host plant to find a shelter in rock crevices etc.

distribution within Europe

Mediterranean Europe, including the Canary Islands (PESI, 2018).

larva

larva in diapause © Michael Zerafa. See also Nel (1994b).

predators

Elasmus nowickii; ; Hockeria unicolor.

notes

During the long time that a larva is in diapause a case can worn so strongly that almost all plant tissue has been eroded away, leaving only the resistant silken case inside. The above picture shows such a worn case.

references

Baldizzone (1983c, 1989c, 1995b, 1996a), Baldizzone & Hartig (1978a), Baldizzone & Nel (1993c), Kaltenbach & Roesler (1985a), Mifsud & Askew (2019a), Nel (1994b), Sammut (2008a), van der Wolf (2009a), Zerafa (2015a).