Coleophora ulmifoliella
Encyclopedia
The Elm Casebearer Moth (Coleophora ulmifoliella) is a moth
of the Coleophoridae
family. It is found in North America
, including Ontario
.
The wingspan
is about 13 mm. Adults are tan with grey markings and fringed wings.
The larvae feed on the leaves of Ulmus species. Early instars mine
the leaves of their host plant. Later instars feed on the leaves externally from within an oval shaped case. The case is created out of leaves and silk and is about 6 mm in length. They feed on the inner leaf tissues.
Larvae can be in the spring as soon as foliage appears. In the autumn, larvae anchor themselves on to branches in small groups to overwinter. Pupation occurs in early summer and adults appear in mid summer.
Moth
A moth is an insect closely related to the butterfly, both being of the order Lepidoptera. Moths form the majority of this order; there are thought to be 150,000 to 250,000 different species of moth , with thousands of species yet to be described...
of the Coleophoridae
Coleophoridae
| name = Case-bearers| image = Coleophoridae-01 .jpg| image_width = 240px| image_caption = Adult of an unidentified case-bearer species| regnum = Animalia| phylum = Arthropoda| classis = Insecta| ordo = Lepidoptera| superfamilia = Gelechioidea...
family. It is found in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, including Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
.
The wingspan
Wingspan
The wingspan of an airplane or a bird, is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777 has a wingspan of about ; and a Wandering Albatross caught in 1965 had a wingspan of , the official record for a living bird.The term wingspan, more technically extent, is...
is about 13 mm. Adults are tan with grey markings and fringed wings.
The larvae feed on the leaves of Ulmus species. Early instars mine
Leaf miner
Leaf miner is a term used to describe the larvae of many different species of insect which live in and eat the leaf tissue of plants. The vast majority of leaf-mining insects are moths , sawflies and flies , though some beetles and wasps also exhibit this behavior.Like Woodboring beetles, leaf...
the leaves of their host plant. Later instars feed on the leaves externally from within an oval shaped case. The case is created out of leaves and silk and is about 6 mm in length. They feed on the inner leaf tissues.
Larvae can be in the spring as soon as foliage appears. In the autumn, larvae anchor themselves on to branches in small groups to overwinter. Pupation occurs in early summer and adults appear in mid summer.