Coleophora lusciniaepennella on Populus tremulosa?

[Donald Hobern]

Last week I found a case of some species of Coleophora attached to a
blotch on the underside of a leaf of Aspen (Populus tremulosa) in a
small copse near Southampton, England.  No species of Coleophora is
listed in volume 3 of the Moths and Butterflies of Great Britain and
Ireland as feeding on Aspen.  The case does however match the
appearance of Coleophora lusciniaepennella, which normally mines
species of Salix (and sometimes Myrica and Betula).  There is plenty
of Salix caprea in the copse and Populus tremulosa is another member of
the Salicaceae.

The case is composed of three sections.  The anal section is very small
and rather ferruginous.  The second section is fuscous and slightly
downy.  The third section is fuscous and matches the colour of the
blotch on the Aspen leaf.  The sections are attached diagonally giving
an overall jagged shape.  The larva is brown with a fuscous or black
head.

Does anyone have any experience of lusciniaepennella on Aspen?  How
ready are Coleophora species to accept food plants other than their
normal ones (particularly if the substitute plant is reasonably closely
related)?  Otherwise is there some other species that this may
represent?

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Donald Hobern : CICS AIX Development, Hursley Park, Winchester, England
E-MAIL        : dhobern at hursley.ibm.com
TELEPHONE     : +44 1962 815301