Coleophora lixella
Encyclopedia
Coleophora lixella is a moth
of the Coleophoridae
family. It is found in most of Europe
.
The wingspan
is about 19 mm. Adults have a yellow ground colour with dusky-outlined whitish streaks. They are on wing from July to August.
The larvae feed on Alopecurus pratensis, Anthoxanthum odoratum
, Avena pubescens, Briza media
, Bromus hordeaceus
, Dactylis glomerata
, Elymus
, Holcus lanatus, Koeleria
and Poa annua
. Young larvae eat out the ripe fruit of a thyme floret. The emptied and dried floret functions as the first case, in which hibernation takes place. After hibernation, the larva switches to grasses, initially in its original thyme case. Later, a new case is made out of a mined grass leaf. This case is about 11 mm long, two-valved, straw-coloured and has a mouth angle of about 25°. The case is a composite leaf case. Larvae can be found from the end of August to the end of May.
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 most of Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
.
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 19 mm. Adults have a yellow ground colour with dusky-outlined whitish streaks. They are on wing from July to August.
The larvae feed on Alopecurus pratensis, Anthoxanthum odoratum
Anthoxanthum odoratum
-Introduction:Anthoxanthum odoratum, known as sweet vernal grass, holy grass, vanilla grass or buffalo grass, is a short-lived grass found wild in acidic grassland in Eurasia. It is also grown as a lawn grass and a house plant, due to its sweet scent, and can also be found on unimproved pastures...
, Avena pubescens, Briza media
Briza media
Briza media is a perennial grass in the family Poaceae and is a species of the genus Briza.Common name includes Quaking-grass, Cow-quake, Didder, Dithering-grass, Dodder-grass, Doddering Dillies, Doddle-grass, Earthquakes, Jiggle-joggles, Jockey-grass, Lady's-hair, Maidenhair-grass, Pearl Grass,...
, Bromus hordeaceus
Bromus hordeaceus
Bromus hordeaceus, the Soft Brome, is an annual or biennial species of plant in the true grass family . It is also known in North America as Bull Grass, Soft Cheat or Soft Chess....
, Dactylis glomerata
Dactylis glomerata
Dactylis glomerata, Cock's-foot and orchard grass, is a common species of grass in the genus Dactylis, native throughout most of Europe, temperate Asia, and northern Africa.-Distribution:...
, Elymus
Elymus
In Greek and Roman mythology, Elymus was the mythical ancestor of the Elymians, natives of Sicily. Elymus was a Trojan, a natural son of Anchises and a brother of Eryx....
, Holcus lanatus, Koeleria
Koeleria
Koeleria is a genus of true grasses which includes species known generally as Junegrasses. The genus was named after German botanist Georg Ludwig Koeler.Selected species:*Koeleria asiatica - Eurasian Junegrass*Koeleria caudata...
and Poa annua
Poa annua
Poa annua, or annual meadow grass , is a widespread low-growing turfgrass in temperate climates. Though P. annua is commonly considered a solely annual plant due to its name, perennial bio-types do exist. 'Poa' is Greek for fodder. It is one of the sweetest grasses for green fodder, but less ...
. Young larvae eat out the ripe fruit of a thyme floret. The emptied and dried floret functions as the first case, in which hibernation takes place. After hibernation, the larva switches to grasses, initially in its original thyme case. Later, a new case is made out of a mined grass leaf. This case is about 11 mm long, two-valved, straw-coloured and has a mouth angle of about 25°. The case is a composite leaf case. Larvae can be found from the end of August to the end of May.