Coleophoridae

37.005 Oak Case-bearer Coleophora lutipennella (Zeller, 1838)

Common

Similar species:

Forewing: 5 to 6.5mm

Habitats: Deciduous woodland.

Habits: The moth comes to light.

Foodplant: The larva feeds on Pedunculate Oak and Sessile Oak. It at first constructs a case of silk. It then makes many tiny mines on the under surface of the leaf using circles of leaf to enlarge the forward part of its case. It overwinters in late October in a bud axil. The following spring it feeds from a new case on catkins and also makes blotch mines while adding to its case. It then cuts a leaf margin to form the 7mm long final case.

The angle of the case compared with the mouth plate is known as the m.o. which in this case is 45° angle.

It pupates on the upper surface of a leaf. On the European mainland it has also been recorded feeding on Sweet Chestnut, Caucasian Oak and Armenian Oak.