Pistol Case-bearer

Coleophora anatipennella

This record describes Coleophora anatipennella (species). Recorded family: Coleophoridae. Recorded order: Lepidoptera.

Identification and Appearance

Pistol Case-bearer - Coleophora anatipennella

Wingspan 12 to 16 mm. This 'Pistol Case-bearers' are so named from the resemblance of their larval cases to an old flintlock pistol in shape. The adult moth is whitish with a few brownish speckles. Larval stage: photograph the case and feeding patterns on small mines in the leaf; note host species A range of larval foodplants are used, for example Hawthorn, Blackthorn and Apple. The species occurs in England and Wales, commoner in the south. In the Butterfly Conservation’s Microlepidoptera Report 2011 this species was classified as local. http://www.leafmines.co.uk/html/Lepidoptera/C.anatipennella.htm https://bladmineerders.nl/parasites/animalia/arthropoda/insecta/lepidoptera/ditrysia/gelechioidea/coleophoridae/coleophora/coleophora-anatipenella/

Classification

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Coleophoridae
Genus: Coleophora

Imported taxonomy record. Source availability varies; see the source references and editorial policy below.

Habitat and Range

Habitat

Around the larval foodplants.

Seasonal Activity

The flight period is June and July.

Diet and Behavior

Life History

A range of larval foodplants are used, for example Hawthorn, Blackthorn and Apple.

Additional species information

Recorded status

The species occurs in England and Wales, commoner in the south. In the Butterfly Conservation’s Microlepidoptera Report 2011 this species was classified as local.

About Butterflies and Moths: the wider group

Order-level background for Lepidoptera, the group containing Coleophora anatipennella. Species-specific details appear above.

Group overview

Lepidoptera includes approximately 180,000 described species of butterflies and moths. Moths outnumber butterflies roughly 10:1. The monarch butterfly's eastern population has declined by more than 80% since the mid-1990s, and the western population by over 95% since the 1980s. The IUCN lists the migratory monarch as Vulnerable.

Ecological role of the group

Butterflies and moths are essential indicators of ecosystem health. As caterpillars, they are a primary food source for birds - a single nest of blue tit chicks requires ~10,000 caterpillars. Adult moths pollinate many night-blooming plants.

Economic and practical significance of the group

Lepidoptera are critical pollinators. In Europe, grassland butterfly species have declined by almost 50% since the early 1990s. In the UK, three-quarters of butterflies are in decline. In the U.S., five butterfly species have gone extinct since 1950, with 29 listed as endangered.

Recorded sources for this group: IUCN Red List, Xerces Society, USFWS, PNAS, WWF. Imported estimates may describe particular regions or reporting periods.

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