Coleophoridae

37.020 Hazel Case-bearer Coleophora fuscocuprella Herrich-Schäffer, 1885

Notable B

Similar species:

Forewing: 3.5 to 5mm

Habitats: Deciduous wodland and heathland.

Habits: The moth has rarely been seen.

Foodplant: The larva peppers small full depth blotches on the under surface of the leaves of Hazel and Downy Birch, preferring the small leaves at the end of a branch. There is only one conical case and it is composed of many small fragments of leaf with the upper end rolled downward (giving it the appearance of a small brown ice cream). Its final length is about 5mm. The larva overwinters in the open from late October and immediately pupates in the spring, somewhere away from the feeding site. On the European mainland it has also been recorded feeding on Silver Birch and Hornbeam.