Photo © Mike Wall

Coleophora albicans

Checklist Number
37.101 [B&F: 0576]

Verification
Record requires retention of specimen until confirmed, and may require dissection. Consult with CMR if unsure

Classification

Family:Coleophoridae
Subfamily:Coleophorinae
Genus:Coleophora
Species:albicans
Authority:Zeller, 1849

Nationally scarce (Na) in saltmarshes on the eastern coast of England, from Kent to Northumberland, and also in Cheshire and Dorset (MBGBI Vol 3). Not recorded in Hampshire or on the Isle of Wight to date. Wingspan 10-13 mm. Like many of the Coleophora, imagines are virtually impossible to identify without recourse to dissection, and the larvae, which live in cases of characteristic form and which can sometimes be found on the foodplant, may be easier to identify by comparison against a reference collection. Larva feeds on seeds and leaves of Sea Wormwood, living within a movable case.