37.107 BF589

Coleophora clypeiferella

Hofmann, 1871

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Wingspan c. 14mm.

Only added to the British list as recently as 1954, this species occurs on wasteland and grassy areas in the south and south-east of England.

Feeding on the seedheads of fat-hen (Chenopodium album), the larva forms a case made from fragments of seed during September and October.

The adult moths have an unusual sclerotised plate on the tip of the abdomen containing small spines, which it is believed is used to help break out of the pupal cocoon. They emerge in July and August and are attracted to light.