ABH: 37.015

BF: 493

Family: Coleophoridae

Taxon: Coleophora serratella

    =Coleophora fuscedinella

Authority: (Linnaeus, 1761)

Vernacular: Common Case-bearer

Account: One of commonest species of Coleophora, in woodland, hedgerows, heathland and fens throughout much of the British Isles, except for the far northern islands of Scotland Like many of the Coleophora, imagines are virtually impossible to identify without recourse to dissection: the indistinct rings near the tip of the antenna help to distinguish it, but examination of the genitalia is required for positive identification of non-reared specimens.The larva mines leaves of Birch, Alder, Elm and Hazel, living within a movable case, creating small mines which leave a characteristic pattern on the surface of the leaves of its foodplants, birch, elm, alder or hazel. Confusion can occur when it is occasionally found feeding on other trees, or on herbaceous plants onto which it has accidentally fallen.

Accounts provided by and used with the kind permission of Mike Wall, Hampshire County Moth Recorder. These will in due course be gradually replaced with species accounts with a Surrey context.

Wingspan: 10.5 — 14 mm

Surrey Flight Period: 2 Jun (2007) — 9 Aug (2015)

The flight period of overwintering adults are not given. See the flight chart below the distribution map.

Foodplant: Alnus sp., Betula sp. (a birch), Corylus sp., Ulmus sp. (an elm).

Foodplant accounts are from the HOSTS database — Natural History Museum, London, UK. (CC0).

Status: Common

UK BAP:

WCA:

Click here to view the full geology map of Surrey.

Display Grading Definitions

Verification Grade: 4 — ️‼️Dissection required️‼️

Further Information: https://www.ukmoths.org.uk/species/coleophora-serratella/

Statistics

* Based on adult records only.

Records: 171

Individuals: 2

Earliest Year: 1998

Latest Year: 2022