| Coleophora niveicostella | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Coleophoridae |
| Genus: | Coleophora |
| Species: | C. niveicostella |
| Binomial name | |
| Coleophora niveicostella Zeller, 1839[1] |
|
Coleophora niveicostella is a moth of the Coleophoridae family. It is found from Sweden and Latvia to Spain, Italy and Greece and from Great Britain to Romania.
The wingspan is 11-13 mm.[2] Adults are on wing in July. [3]
The larvae feed on Thymus praecox, Thymus pulegioides and Thymus serpyllum. They create a slender, brownish black, bivalved case of 7-8 mm. The oral half is tubular, while the rear part strongly laterally compressed. The mouth angle is about 30°. The case looks like a sheath case, but is in fact a composite leaf case. The larva cuts off mined leaves, after having removed the complete leaf margin: what is left is an upper and a lower epidermis, connected by the stub of the petiole. Leaves treated in this way are placed in front of the old case.[4] Full-grown larvae can be found in mid June.