Identification of the adults of the British Coleophoridae |
|
Introduction
Many people with an interest in British Lepidoptera find the micro-moths in general, and Family Coleophoridae (and Elachistidae) in particular, "too difficult". It is true that many of the species are bewilderingly similar and only a few could be described as attractive. To some extent, taking on the Coleophoridae is for those who are prepared to accept a bit of a challenge. When I started taking an interest in the group, I soon realised that the main reference material available to me - The Moths and Butterflies of the Great Britain and Ireland volume 3 - whilst it contains a lot of invaluable material, provided a key to the identification of the species of the Coleophoridae that was actually of little help in confident identification of these species. I set about devising a more usable, reliable key - the first drafts of which have been published in my British Lepidoptera website. Some of the species are sufficiently distinctive to be identifiable either in the field, usually with the aid of a hand lens or from a good quality macro-photograph. I hope here to provide a means whereby these species can be identified by most moth-ers. However, a majority of the Coleophora species will require dissection of the genitalia to enable confident identification, and a significant portion of this site is concerned with providing a guide to those who are prepared to undertake this task.
Many people with an interest in British Lepidoptera find the micro-moths in general, and Family Coleophoridae (and Elachistidae) in particular, "too difficult". It is true that many of the species are bewilderingly similar and only a few could be described as attractive. To some extent, taking on the Coleophoridae is for those who are prepared to accept a bit of a challenge. When I started taking an interest in the group, I soon realised that the main reference material available to me - The Moths and Butterflies of the Great Britain and Ireland volume 3 - whilst it contains a lot of invaluable material, provided a key to the identification of the species of the Coleophoridae that was actually of little help in confident identification of these species. I set about devising a more usable, reliable key - the first drafts of which have been published in my British Lepidoptera website. Some of the species are sufficiently distinctive to be identifiable either in the field, usually with the aid of a hand lens or from a good quality macro-photograph. I hope here to provide a means whereby these species can be identified by most moth-ers. However, a majority of the Coleophora species will require dissection of the genitalia to enable confident identification, and a significant portion of this site is concerned with providing a guide to those who are prepared to undertake this task.
This site is laid out in 4 main sections:
1. An introduction, covering taxonomy, general features of the adult and some notes on life cycle - though this site is about identification of adults and I have not attempted to deal with the immature stages in any detail.
2. Keys to the identification of the species with images illustrating the important identification features
3. A species guide with images of the whole insect, some details of its biology and a summary of the key identification features
4. Genitalia - in which genital images of all the species are displayed in one place - again with indications of the key identification features.
1. An introduction, covering taxonomy, general features of the adult and some notes on life cycle - though this site is about identification of adults and I have not attempted to deal with the immature stages in any detail.
2. Keys to the identification of the species with images illustrating the important identification features
3. A species guide with images of the whole insect, some details of its biology and a summary of the key identification features
4. Genitalia - in which genital images of all the species are displayed in one place - again with indications of the key identification features.
