37.035 Coleophora alcyonipennella (Clover Case-bearer)
ws: 11.5-14.5mm; bivoltine May-Jun, Jul-Aug; white clover (Trifolium repens); fairly common in SE.England, scattered elsewhere in UK.
Formerly considered conspecific with C.frischella and C.deauratella
Formerly considered conspecific with C.frischella and C.deauratella
Coleophora alcyonipennella §1 male
ID: Forewing plain, unicolorous, not white, without white markings; metallic >6 species
C.alcyonipennella vs trifolii: (vs) ws:15-20mm
C.alcyonipennella vs amethstinella: apical 1/5 of flagellum greyish-white (vs) ws14-18mm, antenna fuscous to apex.
C.alcyonipennella vs mayrella: (vs) ws:10.5-12mm, antenna ringed dark fuscous in apical portion
C.alcyonipennella vs deauratella: only basal 2-3 segments of flagellum thickened with projecting scale (vs) ws:10.5-12.5mm; base of flagellum clothed in scales to 1/10 (m) or 1/4 (f) (not sure that the difference between 2-3 segments and 1/10 is sufficient to separate males).
C.alcyonipennella vs frischella: not separable on external characters.
Male and female genitalia, except alcyonipennella, are figured, but not keyed, in MBGBI3. Moth Dissection shows male genitalia of trifolii, alcyonipennella, mayrella & deauratella and females of trifolii, alcyonipennella, frischella and deauratella. C.alyconipennella is separable from trifolii, mayrella, fuscicornis and female deauratella without recourse to genital examination. C.alcyonipennella and C.frischella appear identical on external characteristics and male deauratella with fw length ~5.5 to 6.2mm cannot be reliably distinguished from them.
Male C.deauratella vs C.frischella/alcyonipennella: vinculum evenly ‘V’ shaped vs pinched and produced at apex; postero-lateral angle of sacculus with a distinct pointed process vs with a small indistinct process; aedeagus with inner curve sclerotised almost to juxtal attachment vs sclerotised at a distance from the juxtal attachment approximately =to the length of the sclerotised section. C.frischella & alcyonipennella were not separated at the time of publication of MBGBI3. Hants Moths comments that the description in MBGBI3 relates to alcyonipennella but the genital illustrations are of frischella. Comparing the illustration labelled as frischella in MBGBI3 with the dissection group image labelled alcyonipennella it could be that the aedeagal cornuti are short in frischella and long in alcyonipennella.
Female C.frischella vs C.alcyonipennella: subgenital plate long (>4x width of ostium bursae) vs short (2.5x width of ostium bursae); apohyses anterioires long (>1.5x length of SGP) vs short (<1.5x length of SGP); ostium bursae towards base of SGP vs in centre of SGP. Possibly the ‘tail’ beyond the spiculate section of the ductus bursae is longer in frischella.
Hants moths suggests that frischella is confined to SW.England as far as Somerset and replaced elsewhere by alcyonipennella (based on personal communication with Jon Clifton); however the image labelled as frischella at the dissection group was obtained at Sawbridgeworth Marsh, Hertfordshire.
C.alcyonipennella vs trifolii: (vs) ws:15-20mm
C.alcyonipennella vs amethstinella: apical 1/5 of flagellum greyish-white (vs) ws14-18mm, antenna fuscous to apex.
C.alcyonipennella vs mayrella: (vs) ws:10.5-12mm, antenna ringed dark fuscous in apical portion
C.alcyonipennella vs deauratella: only basal 2-3 segments of flagellum thickened with projecting scale (vs) ws:10.5-12.5mm; base of flagellum clothed in scales to 1/10 (m) or 1/4 (f) (not sure that the difference between 2-3 segments and 1/10 is sufficient to separate males).
C.alcyonipennella vs frischella: not separable on external characters.
Male and female genitalia, except alcyonipennella, are figured, but not keyed, in MBGBI3. Moth Dissection shows male genitalia of trifolii, alcyonipennella, mayrella & deauratella and females of trifolii, alcyonipennella, frischella and deauratella. C.alyconipennella is separable from trifolii, mayrella, fuscicornis and female deauratella without recourse to genital examination. C.alcyonipennella and C.frischella appear identical on external characteristics and male deauratella with fw length ~5.5 to 6.2mm cannot be reliably distinguished from them.
Male C.deauratella vs C.frischella/alcyonipennella: vinculum evenly ‘V’ shaped vs pinched and produced at apex; postero-lateral angle of sacculus with a distinct pointed process vs with a small indistinct process; aedeagus with inner curve sclerotised almost to juxtal attachment vs sclerotised at a distance from the juxtal attachment approximately =to the length of the sclerotised section. C.frischella & alcyonipennella were not separated at the time of publication of MBGBI3. Hants Moths comments that the description in MBGBI3 relates to alcyonipennella but the genital illustrations are of frischella. Comparing the illustration labelled as frischella in MBGBI3 with the dissection group image labelled alcyonipennella it could be that the aedeagal cornuti are short in frischella and long in alcyonipennella.
Female C.frischella vs C.alcyonipennella: subgenital plate long (>4x width of ostium bursae) vs short (2.5x width of ostium bursae); apohyses anterioires long (>1.5x length of SGP) vs short (<1.5x length of SGP); ostium bursae towards base of SGP vs in centre of SGP. Possibly the ‘tail’ beyond the spiculate section of the ductus bursae is longer in frischella.
Hants moths suggests that frischella is confined to SW.England as far as Somerset and replaced elsewhere by alcyonipennella (based on personal communication with Jon Clifton); however the image labelled as frischella at the dissection group was obtained at Sawbridgeworth Marsh, Hertfordshire.
Dissection
Male genitalia
Female genitalia
§1 Cyffdy Farm, Gwynedd; 21/05/2010; male; fw 6.2mm
§2 Foulness, Essex; female; 03/09/2011; fw 6.2mm
§3 Westcliff-on-sea, Essex; 25/08/2009; female; fw 6.0mm
§4 Foulness, Essex; 05/08/2012; male; fw 5.8mm
§5 Foulness, Essex; 15/08/2015; male; fw 6.0mm; to light
§6 Westcliff-on-sea, Essex; 24/08/2016; female; fw 5.3mm; to light
§7 Foulden Common, Norfolk; 06/06/2016; male
§8 Strumpshaw Fen, Borfolk; 16/05/2017; male; fw 6.0mm; to light
All images © Chris Lewis
§2 Foulness, Essex; female; 03/09/2011; fw 6.2mm
§3 Westcliff-on-sea, Essex; 25/08/2009; female; fw 6.0mm
§4 Foulness, Essex; 05/08/2012; male; fw 5.8mm
§5 Foulness, Essex; 15/08/2015; male; fw 6.0mm; to light
§6 Westcliff-on-sea, Essex; 24/08/2016; female; fw 5.3mm; to light
§7 Foulden Common, Norfolk; 06/06/2016; male
§8 Strumpshaw Fen, Borfolk; 16/05/2017; male; fw 6.0mm; to light
All images © Chris Lewis
Page published Mar 2011 | §4 added 09/02/2013 | §5 added 26/08/2015 | §6 added 14/11/2016 | §7 added 04/06/2017 | §8 added 04/04/2018
