Coleophoridae

37.109 Betony Case-bearer Coleophora wockeella Zeller, 1849

pRDB1

Similar species:

Forewing: 8.5 to 10.5mm

Habitats: Woodland clearings.

Habits: There is an old record of it flying in the afternoon. It occasionally comes to light.

Foodplant: The larva mines the leaves of Betony. It initially makes a small blotch mine from which it cuts a piece of cuticle to make its first case. The larva then feeds on the underside of the leaves making large yellow-green blotches. It enlarges its case by adding rings of silk at the mouth end. It overwinters low on the plant in October. It resumes feeding in mid-April. The finished case is dark brown, elongate and slightly flattened laterally and formed from silk and six to eight segments of leaf-cuticle. The rear end is bivalved and curved downwards. It is 10mm long, m.o. at a 10° angle. The larva is full fed and pupates in late May, usually fixed to the stem of the foodplant or adjacent foliage.