37.073 BF584  –  Coleophoridae – Coleophora alticolella – Common Rush Case-bearer – (Zeller, 1849) Adult Micro:  CAT 4 – Gen. Det. Required – Gen-Det-Reqd       Larval Case:  C4 – As C3 but also a Gen.Det. required – Gen. Det. Required       PDF Icon – click for General Verification Guidelines  |   PDF Icon – click for Specific Verification Guidelines
Black – Uncertain/Unknown – Insufficient Data        purple – Leaf Miner
Taxonomy:   Micro   >>  Coleophoridae
** Identification write up and photograph required **
ID Difficulty:  Red – difficult to identify – detailed examination required, often a Gen Det and/or specimen and quality photographs are required.
Confusion Species: Coleophora glaucicolella (Grey Rush Case-bearer)
Distribution:  Uncertain as this species cannot be identified without a Gen Det – only confirmed records come from Harrison & Sterling 1986 – Repton and Goyts Moss – Current records of larval cases are aggregated as C.alticolella-glaucicolella. 9 records on irecord – latest aggregated record 2/3/2025 Markham Vale.
Flight Period: June /  July /  –  Sunrise, dusk and into the night  – The larvae feed on Juncus spp (Rush) After feeding initially inside a seed they construct a silken case covered with seed fragments. The larvae hibernate and pupate on the ground. Larval cases are indistinguishable from those of C. glaucicolella so gen.det of bred moth is required. Moth Activity: Cathemeral   – active from dusk into the night Photographed: No –  Photographed By: Not Recorded
*** Last updated on 6 May 2025 by RP ***
Wingspan: 10-12mm
Food Plant: Juncus spp (Rush)
Last Recorded By – Not Recorded
Last Recorded General Area – Not Recorded

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Distribution Map for Coleophora alticolella

No records found

If the Map Layers function fails, just refresh the page and it should be OK after. Use the +- zoom on the top left, or on a tablet, use two fingers to zoom. Remember, the last layer you ticked is the one which displays the popup information - they sit on top of each other - de-select then re-select, to see the popup values.

******* Choose ONLY one at a time, of either Monad, Tetrad or Hectad Distribution - each has it's own set of data. Also, the distribution maps cover ALL recorded data. *******

Bedrock Geology ** indirectly affects moth distribution by influencing the type of habitat and food plants available in an area. In turn, this may affect the types of moths that can thrive, or where they can most likely be found.

Land-cover * shows the variety of land-cover within the VC57 area, based on the CORINE (Coordination of Information on the Environment) forty-four thematic classes of land-cover. This will show, to a greater or lesser degree, the number and variety of moths found in different land-cover types. The UK continues to operate within the Copernicus programme, with the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH) providing Corine Land Cover (CLC) datasets for the UK and its territories.


NBN Atlas UK Distribution for – Coleophora alticolella

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Note – the NBN Atlas datasets are listed in the map below and vary in their currency (uptodateness) – however, the map does give a general indication of the moth's distribution across the UK.

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Monthly Records By Year: Coleophora alticolella
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )
No data returned from the database.

Monthly Counts By Year: Coleophora alticolella
( data is based on 'Adult' stage records only. )


First/Last Recorded Dates: Coleophora alticolella
Adult-only & Anything [Larvae, Pupae, Adult, Mines]

Shading shows moth presence between dates

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Recordings By Year: Coleophora alticolella
( All data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )
Annual Growth Rate (AGR): Coleophora alticolella
AGR: 0%   |   Total % Change: 0%
Coleophora alticolella
Insufficient records/data for an AGR analysis
Years Analysed: 2000 – 2025
Coleophora alticolella
Insufficient records/data for a CUSUM analysis
Years Analysed: 2000 – 2025

Hectad (10kmx10km) Coverage: Coleophora alticolella
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )

Flight Periods – Indicative –vs– Recorded Data
Coleophora alticolella
( data includes Adult Stage only )

Flight Period chart – the grey hatched area above, which can cross one or more months, pictorially represents the best guess we have for this moth's flight periods [month/s]. The coloured lines represent the actual months seen in flight, from site observation records received between 2020-2025.

Mine Periods – Indicative –vs– Recorded Data
Coleophora alticolella
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )

Mine Period chart – the grey hatched area above, which can cross one or more months, pictorially represents the best guess we have for this moth's mine periods [month/s]. The coloured lines represent the actual months seen mining, from site observation records received between 2020-2025.

Records Behind the Map and Charts - Coleophora alticolella – 0 records available

Listed by Year - descending - scroll across to see all table columns

No records found for Coleophora alticolella.

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