Forest Pests: Insects, Diseases & Other Damage Agents

Casebearers and Relatives (Family Coleophoridae)

Maier, C.T., C.R. Lemmon, J.M. Fengler, D.F. Schweitzer, and R.C. Reardon. 2004. Caterpillars on the Foliage of Conifers in the Northeastern United States. FHTET-2004-1. Morgantown, WV: USDA Forest Service, Forest Health Technology Enterprise Team; 151 p.

Many of the North American caterpillars in this small family belong to the genus Coleophora, which includes pests of larch, fruit, nut, and other trees. The caterpillars of the first instar of Coleophora are true leafminers, living within the leaf. The older caterpillars reach into leaves to mine or skeletonize them while they dwell in portable cases that remain at the surface of the leaf. The cases of Coleophora species are constructed of foliar fragments and frass that are bound together by silk. The shape of the case varies from species to species and may be important for identification. Other caterpillars in the Coleophoridae are scavengers, plant feeders, or even predators of insects. Coleophorid caterpillars may live in the nests of other caterpillars, in the burrows of boring insects, in flowers, in or between leaves, or in other locations.

The caterpillars of Coleophora are modified for their case-bearing life; for example, the prolegs on A3 to A6 often are reduced to bumps. Most Coleophora species pass the winter as partly grown caterpillars in cases attached to the food plant. After springtime feeding, the caterpillars change to pupae within their cases. Mature coleophorid caterpillars generally are 5 to 15 mm long.

The small moths tend to be dull white, tan, or grayish and have narrow wings with long fringes. The adults of most species are active between dusk and sunrise.

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