Coleophora taeniipennella Herrich-Schäffer, 1855

small rush case-bearer

on Juncus

UK, North Wales © Janet Graham, ex Wikipedia

parasite

The young larva lives in a fruitlet and eats the seeds. Only in its third instar a case is formed, and the larva starts emptying the fruits from the outside. The case is a pale buff silken tube, 5 mm long, trivalved, with a mouth angle of 20°, enclosed in the remnants of a Juncus flower.

host plants

Juncaceae, monophagous

Juncus acutiflorus, articulatus, bulbosus, effusus, gerardi, inflexus, squarrosus, subnodulosus.

Mainly J. articulatus & acutiflorus.

phenology

Larvae from August till November. The full fed larva generally leaves to host plant to hibernate elsewhere. Pupation in the following spring, still in the case.

distribution within Europe

All Europe (PESI, 2018).

BENELUX

Known from the Netherlands and Belgium.

synonyms

Coleophora galactaula Meyrick, 1928.

references

Baldizzone (1979a, 1990b, 2004a, 2020a), Baldizzone & Hartig (1978a), Baldizzone & scalercio (2018a), Baldizzone, Tokár, Kovács & Kovács (2004a), Biesenbaum (2001b), Biesenbaum & van der Wolf (1999a), Emmet (1986e), Emmet, Langmaid, Bland ao (1996a), Huemer (2001a), Huemer & Wiesner (1997a), Huisman, Koster, van Nieukerken & Ulenberg (2003a, 2005a), Ivinskis & Savenkov (1991a), Kaltenbach & Roesler (1985a), Kasy (1965a), Michaelis (1983a), Nel (1992b), Patzak (1974a,b), Robbins (1991a), Segerer, Neumayr, Pröse & Kolbeck (1994a), Steeman & Sierens (2018a), Triberti, Longo Turri, Adami & Zanetti (2017a), Wegner (2010a).