Review of 2019 and 2020 - Moths: Case-bearers (Coleophoridae) (Part 3)

CASE-BEARERS (COLEOPHORIDAE) continued


Pistol Case-bearer Coleophora anatipennella - None.  I had 2 of these at home in 2018 but may have overlooked others as these are rather difficult to separate even with reference to the genitalia.


White Sallow Case-bearer Coleophora albidella - Caught in the garden on 13th and 19th June 2020.  2019 was my first blank year for what is usually my commonest white Coleophora.

male White Sallow Case-bearer Coleophora albidella, North Elmham, 19th June 2020

White Oak Case-bearer Coleophora kuehnella - None.  I've not recorded this species locally yet but it's quite widespread so must be a possibility.


Forest Case-bearer Coleophora ibipennella - An occupied case at the meadows on an Oak leaf on 6th June 2019.  I took this home and the adult emerged from it on 27th June.  Also 1-2 trapped at home, one on 17th July 2019 that I'm not going to record (I'd pretty confidently reached the ID but in trying to get the genitalia to lie flat I ended up damaging it such that I couldn't quite be 100% sure) and one on 24th July.  I've only recorded this species here once before (2016).  None in 2020.

occupied case of Forest Case-bearer Coleophora ibipennella, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 6th June 2019

male Forest Case-bearer Coleophora ibipennella, 27th June 2019, emerged from case collected from North Elmham Cathedral Meadows on 6th June 2019

White Birch Case-bearer Coleophora betulella - One caught at home on 10th July 2019.  I first recorded this species here in 2018, and after failing to record albidella in 2019 I started to wonder if I may have misidentified this species as albidella in the past.  However with this in mind I took extra care in 2020 and only recorded albidella (and no betulella) then, so perhaps my fears were unfounded.  The differences in genitalia between some of these white Coleophora are pretty subtle to say the least.

male White Birch Case-bearer Coleophora betulella, North Elmham, 10th July 2019

Knapweed Case-bearer Coleophora conspicuella - None.  I've never caught this species, which isn't surprising as it had never been recorded in Norfolk until 2020.  Dave Norgate caught a large and distinctive Coleophora in his garden in Toftwood on 5th July and asked me to have a look at it.  I didn't recognise it at all but eventually figured out it was either vibicigerella, conspicuella or vibicella, none of which had been recorded in Norfolk before.  With a 21mm wingspan the size was within range for vibicella but far too big for the other two (max 17.5mm and 14mm according to the literature), however I wasn't convinced it was vibicella so agreed to gen det it.  It proved to be a female conspicuella, a species that was recorded in Suffolk for the first time in 2019 (as a larva, with an adult caught at the same location in 2020).  An absolute BEAST!

female Knapweed Case-bearer Coleophora conspicuella, caught by Dave Norgate at Toftwood (Dereham) on 5th July 2020

Downland Case-bearer Coleophora lixella - None.  I've caught this species here once, in 2015.


Gorse Case-bearer Coleophora albicosta - One in the garden trap on 25th May 2019 was a new moth for the garden, but followed by 2 more in 2020 (on 17th and 21st May).  Also on 21st May 2020, one caught at Hills and Holes.

female Gorse Case-bearer Coleophora albicosta, North Elmham, 25th May 2019

Gorse Case-bearer Coleophora albicosta, North Elmham, 17th May 2020

female Gorse Case-bearer Coleophora albicosta, Hills and Holes, 21st May 2020

Larch Case-bearer Coleophora laricella - None in 2019 but one caught in the garden on 12th June 2020 and another at Bintree Wood the following night.  I've caught this species here 3 times previously, in 2015 and 2017.

male Larch Case-bearer Coleophora laricella, North Elmham, 12th June 2020

male Larch Case-bearer Coleophora laricella, Bintree Wood, 13th June 2020

Next page: more Coleophora

White Birch Case-bearer (Coleophora betulella)

After a good night on 5th July, and a Currant Clearwing to pheromone lure during the day, there was another good night on 6th July with 464 moths of 114 species.  Prize among these was my first ever White Birch Case-bearer Coleophora betulella.  Maybe not everyone's cup of tea I'll admit - it was a pretty worn specimen and there wasn't a hope of identifying it based on its external features.

Currant Clearwing, North Elmham, 6th July

White Birch Case-bearer Coleophora betulella (male, gen det), North Elmham, 6th July

Quite a lot of other new moths for the year too (for the garden - had seen some of these elsewhere): Cherry-fruit Moth Argyresthia pruniella, Lesser Tawny Tubic Batia lunaris, 2 Dover Shades Cnephasia genitalana, Maple Button Acleris forsskaleana, Nut-bud Moth Epinotia tenerana, 12 Water Veneers Acentria ephemerella, Beautiful China-mark Nymphula nitidulata, Chequered Pearl Evergestis pallidata, Dusky Pearl Udea prunalis, Grey Knot-horn Acrobasis advenella, Brown Scallop, Scalloped Oak and Small Rufous.

Cherry-fruit Moth Argyresthia pruniella, North Elmham, 6th July

Lesser Tawny Tubic Batia lunaris, North Elmham, 6th July

Dover Shade Cnephasia genitalana (male, gen det), North Elmham, 6th July

Maple Button Acleris forsskaleana, North Elmham, 6th July

Nut-bud Moth Epinotia tenerana, North Elmham, 6th July

Dusky Pearl Udea prunalis, North Elmham, 6th July

Brown Scallop, North Elmham, 6th July

Small Rufous, North Elmham, 6th July

The rest of the moths were 10 Bird-cherry Ermines Yponomeuta evonymella, 3 Ermine sp. Yponomeuta padella/malinellus/cagnagella, 2 Hawthorn Ermines Paraswammerdamia nebulella, 2 Diamond-backs Plutella xylostella, 2 Small Dingy Tubics Borkhausenia fuscescens, 3 Brown House Moths Hofmannophila pseudospretella, Common Groundling Teleiodes vulgella, London Dowd Blastobasis lacticolella, 7 Common Yellow Conches Agapeta hamana, Barred Fruit-tree Tortrix Pandemis cerasana, Dark Fruit-tree Tortrix Pandemis heparana, 3 Large Fruit-tree Tortrixes Archips podana, Variegated Golden Tortrix Archips xylosteana, 5 Privet Tortrixes Clepsis consimilana, Large Ivy Tortrix Lozotaenia forsterana, Brown-barred Tortrix Epagoge grotiana, 3 Red-barred Tortrixes Ditula angustiorana, 2 Grey Tortrixes Cnephasia stephensiana, 2 Flax Tortrixes Cnephasia asseclana, 2 Yellow Oak Buttons Aleimma loeflingiana, 8 Barred Marbles Celypha striana, 5 Common Marbles Celypha lacunana, 2 Plum Tortrixes Hedya pruniana, Marbled Orchard Tortrix Hedya nubiferana, Holly Tortrix Rhopobota naevana, 2 Common Cloaked Shoots Gypsonoma dealbana, 2 Hoary Bells Eucosma cana, 2 Many-plume Moths Alucita hexadactyla, 80 Garden Grass-veneers Chrysoteuchia culmella, Inlaid Grass-veneer Crambus pascuella, 2 Satin Grass-veneers Crambus perlella, 3 Straw Grass-veneers Agriphila straminella, 2 Meadow Greys Scoparia pyralella, 3 Common Greys Scoparia ambigualis, 4 Little Greys Eudonia lacustrata, Small Grey Eudonia mercurella, 4 Small Magpies Anania hortulata, Elder Pearl Anania coronata, 19 Mother of Pearls Pleuroptya ruralis, 5 Rosy Tabbies Endotricha flammealis, 2 Bee Moths Aphomia sociella, False Cacao Moth Ephestia woodiella, White Plume Pterophorus pentadactyla, 3 Common Plumes Emmelina monodactyla, Chinese Character, Buff Arches, Common Emerald, Blood-vein, 3 Small Blood-veins, 9 Small Fan-footed Waves, Dwarf Cream Wave, Small Dusty Wave, 11 Single-dotted Waves, 17 Riband Waves, 4 Large Twin-spot Carpets, Shaded Broad-bar, Common Carpet, Barred Straw, July Highflyer, Scallop Shell, Small Rivulet, Sandy Carpet, 4 V-Pugs, 4 Double-striped Pugs, Small Yellow Wave, 2 Clouded Borders, 3 Early Thorns, Willow Beauties, Mottled Beauty, Engrailed, Common White Wave, Common Wave, 4 Clouded Silvers, 3 Elephant Hawk-moths, Yellow-tail, 12 Rosy Footmen, 3 Dingy Footmen, Buff Footman, 30 Common Footmen, 2 Buff Ermines, Heart and Dart, Flame, Large Yellow Underwing, 4 Double Square-spots, 2 Dot Moths, Clay, 4 Smoky Wainscots, Marbled Beauty, Brown Rustic, 3 Dark Arches, Middle-barred Minor, Common Rustic, 34 Uncertains, 4 Rustics, 5 Mottled Rustics, 4 Beautiful Hook-tips, Straw Dot, 9 Snouts, 14 Fan-foots and Small Fan-foot.

Common Groundling Teleiodes vulgella, North Elmham, 6th July

The mayfly Lake Olive Cloeon simile was new for the year. 

Lake Olive Cloeon similie, North Elmham, 6th July

One of 2 Blue-winged Olives Serratella ignita moulted from sub-imago to imago the following day:

Blue-winged Olive Serratella ignita, North Elmham, 6th July

Lacewings consisted of Chrysoperla carnea agg., Cunctochrysa albolineata and Dichochrysa flavifrons.  Among the caddisflies Molanna angustata was new for the house and Crunoecia irrorata new for the year.  The others were Hydropsyche pellucidula, Medium Sedge Goera pilosa and Mottled Sedge Glyphotaelius pellucidus.

Molanna angustata, North Elmham, 6th July

Crunoecia irrorata, North Elmham, 6th July

There were 5 Iassus lanio (leafhoppers), 2 Common Red Soldier Beetles Rhagonycha fulva and 4 Lagria hirta (another beetle).