Coleophora vicinella

Coleophora vicinella
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Coleophoridae
Genus:	Coleophora
Species:	C. vicinella
Binomial name
Coleophora vicinella Zeller, 1849[1]
Synonyms
Coleophora gypsophilae Christoph, 1862

Coleophora vicinella is a moth of the Coleophoridae family. It is found from France to Ukraine and then further south.

The wingspan is 16–17 mm.^[2]

The larvae feed on Astragalus, Coronilla, Dorycnium, Galega and Medicago sativa. They create an ochreous pistol case with many sharp ridges and a sharp ventral keel. The pallium (cloak) covers about three quarters of the case and has a pair of wing like extensions at the rear. It is strongly inflated and has a scalloped surface structure. The colour is yellowish white at first, but brown or even black later. The mouth angle is 45°. Older larvae no longer feed within fleck mines, but feed on all leaf tissue except the stronger veins.^[3] Larvae can be found from autumn to May of the following year.

References

1. Fauna Europaea
2. lepiforum.de
3. bladmineerders.nl