Coleophora ledi
Encyclopedia
Coleophora ledi is a moth
of the Coleophoridae
family. It is found from Fennoscandia
and northern Russia
to the Pyrenees
and the Alps
. In the east, it ranges to Japan
. Outside of Eurasia, it is known from North America
where it is found in eastern Canada
, Michigan
, and Alaska
.
The wingspan
is 10-13 mm.
The larvae feed on Ledum palustre, Ledum groenlandicum and Chamaedaphne calyculata. They create a strongly curved lobe case. Some very large leaf fragments are found in the central part. Young larvae overwinter in small cases. When feeding and larval growth are resumed in early spring, the larvae enlarge their cases by adding a series of rings of leaf epidermis with pieces sticking out on all sides. They make underside mines that are easily detected as large brown blotches visible from the upper surface of the leaves. The larvae mature in late April and early May feeding on the previous year's foliage. The adults emerge in early to mid-May and are possibly diurnal.
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 from Fennoscandia
Fennoscandia
Fennoscandia and Fenno-Scandinavia are geographic and geological terms used to describe the Scandinavian Peninsula, the Kola Peninsula, Karelia and Finland...
and northern Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
to the Pyrenees
Pyrenees
The Pyrenees is a range of mountains in southwest Europe that forms a natural border between France and Spain...
and the Alps
Alps
The Alps is one of the great mountain range systems of Europe, stretching from Austria and Slovenia in the east through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany to France in the west....
. In the east, it ranges to Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. Outside of Eurasia, it is known from 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...
where it is found in eastern Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
, and Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
.
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 10-13 mm.
The larvae feed on Ledum palustre, Ledum groenlandicum and Chamaedaphne calyculata. They create a strongly curved lobe case. Some very large leaf fragments are found in the central part. Young larvae overwinter in small cases. When feeding and larval growth are resumed in early spring, the larvae enlarge their cases by adding a series of rings of leaf epidermis with pieces sticking out on all sides. They make underside mines that are easily detected as large brown blotches visible from the upper surface of the leaves. The larvae mature in late April and early May feeding on the previous year's foliage. The adults emerge in early to mid-May and are possibly diurnal.