A key to the parasitoids of Coleophora serrate/la (Linnaeus, 1761) - a work in progress!

摘要

The life-cycle of the micro-moth Coleophora serratella is well-documented and it is probably one of the most intensively studied species in its genus. The larva is a case-bearing leaf-miner of various deciduous trees but in the United Kingdom is mostly associated with birch. The early mine is a gallery but this is soon widened into a blotch that can be excised by the young larva to create its distinctively angled first case in which it spends the winter. In early May the caterpillar cuts out a segment from the edge of a new leaf and from this segment forms the characteristic serrated-edged cigar-shaped second case.