37.002 BF487

Coleophora lutarea

(Haworth, 1828)

Wingspan 9-11 mm.

A small Coleophorid species which is distributed mainly in the southern half of England and Wales, occupying woodland habitat.

The adult moth is greyish with a silvery lustre, and unlike the closely related Coleophora species, holds its antennae flush with the body rather than extended forward. The moths fly during the daytime in May.

The larva feeds on greater stitchwort (Stellaria holostea), consuming the seeds from within. Towards the end of the larval stage it constructs a portable case from a seed capsule which it uses for protection before pupating in the bark of a tree.